


Fear of Infinity

by liketolaugh



Series: Counting the Stars [1]
Category: D.Gray-man, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Actually no one is happy, Avengers join the Order, Bechdel Test Pass, Characters Making Friends, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Good Loki, Like really really long, No one seems to like this crossover as much as I do, Taking the series to the end, The DGM people are not happy, eventually, really long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-04-12 18:37:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 80,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4490385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/pseuds/liketolaugh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the last month of the Holy War, the Avengers stand with the exorcists. It's... hard. How did they miss this?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Long-Held Rivalry

**Thousands of Years Before**

"Daddy?"

Road Noah looked down at her father with wide, violet eyes. Noah smiled up at where she perched in a tree, one of the few that had survived the flood. "Yes, Road?"

"What's this?"

She held out her hand, a smooth, round green gem nestled in it, almost too big to hold, seeming to almost glow from within. Noah looked startled.

"I can't say I know."

Road pouted. "But Daddy-!"

"Where did you find it?" Wisely looked fascinated, leaning close to the gem to examine it.

"In the tree," she said quietly. "It had a big gash in it, and this was inside."

"Put it back, dear. It might be dangerous," Noah told her.

She sighed and slumped, dejected. "Okay." And she reached up to put it back, but it tumbled from her small hand and fell to shatter against the ground.

When it broke against the hard earth, it  _exploded,_  green light washing over all of them and burning, burning,  _burning…_

And the other gem, one much like it, kept in Noah's pocket, but a dark purple, flared up in response, wrapping all of them in deep violet, protecting them, changing them.

And they woke up. Grey-skinned and gold-eyed, they woke up, one by one – Adam, Noah's eldest son, then Road, then Tyki and Sheryll, and Wisely and Fiidora and Maashiima, and Toraido and Skinn and Jasdevi, and then Lulu and Maitora, golden eyes opening two by two.

Noah alone did not wake up.

In the end, the violet gem had dissolved to dust and passed from Noah to them, sinking into all of them, changing them right down to their genetic composition, while the green one was shattered and thrown to the corners of the Earth.

And they hated the green gem, with everything they were.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Thor!" Fury roared the instant they were in the debriefing room, voice dangerous and eyes blazing. "What the hell are the Infinity Stones?"

Thor cringed slightly, looking ashamed of himself. Loki, by contrast, looked faintly amused.

The Avengers had just returned from a battle with the Enchantress, and while not much talking had gone on (it was, after all, a fight), the woman had made several references to the Infinity Stones and their many apparent hazards. And their presence on Earth.

And Fury really, really wanted to know why he hadn't heard of them sooner.

"I know little," Thor admitted, looking shamed. "These Infinity Stones… they are stones of great power, of which there are six. You know of one of them: the Tesseract."

"You mean there are  _more of them?"_  Clint demanded, voice low and horrified. Tony couldn't blame him, considering the experience the man had had with it.

"Yes," Thor confirmed gravely. "The Tesseract, the Space Stone, is but one of the set, and perhaps one of the least volatile."

"And you didn't feel the need to mention this sooner?" Fury asked dangerously, vein practically popping out of his forehead. When Thor merely continued to look shamed, he continued, "No, don't fucking answer that. Are there any _more_  on Earth?"

"I know not," Thor admitted, hunching over and not meeting Fury's eyes.

"With the Tesseract gone," Loki interrupted, drawing Fury's attention away from his poor brother, "there are two more. To my knowledge, the stones of Mind and Soul both fell to Midgard long ago."

Thor's eyes widened, apparently catching something that escaped the rest of them. "But the Mind and Soul stones-"

"Yes. Their rivalry could destroy Midgard," Loki agreed, grim. "It would only take a catalyst."

"What the hell is this?" Fury demanded, nearly shaking with tension. "And you didn't feel the need to say  _anything?"_

Loki looked mildly ashamed as well now, particularly with all eyes on him.

"I thought nothing of it," he confessed. "They have been here for longer than I have lived, and I believe that I would notice if anything particularly untoward was going on."

Fury took one deep breath. Two. "Loki.  _Do you remember what I said about coming clean?"_

"Of course." Loki cast his eyes to the table, contrite.

After he had helped his brother against the Dark Elves, he had surrendered himself to Midgard for their own punishment, having been exonerated in Asgard - perhaps there was something to be said for having nothing to think about but for how  _much_  you had done wrong.

After much negotiation, Fury had finally agreed to let Loki stay and make up for his crimes as an Avenger, under the Avengers' supervision. The methods had been wide and varied, but one of them had been an agreement to keep no secrets.

After quite some time, he'd earned their trust, but no one forgot what he'd done.

Unnoticed by anyone, Thor also cast his eyes to the ground in shame, flushing. If he'd only paid Loki more attention…

Once he'd decided that Loki had had enough, Fury asked, "Can you find them?"

"To get them under control?" Loki looked back up raised one eyebrow, something like amusement flickering through his eyes (though it was somewhat forced), but he answered anyway. "I can, with effort, track the magical signatures of both stones. However, if they have shattered – and with the Soul Stone, that is highly likely – then I cannot track all of them, and we will instead have to, ah, ask around, if you will. It is likely that all pieces that may exist have manifested in the same, or a similar, manner. I believe that cults form around these things?" He chuckled wryly.

"Do it," Fury ordered him, back stiff and straight.

"Which one?" Loki asked, an almost bored drawl to his voice, though he was smirking, recovered from his reminder.

"Whichever one of them is most fucking dangerous!" Fury snapped at him, fast losing patience.

Loki raised an eyebrow again. Clint swore that he was enjoying this way too much. "Dangerous? Danger takes many forms, Director, you know that. The Mind Stone is the more destructively inclined, but the Soul Stone may well be the most fearsome of all the stones." A slight grimace tugged at the side of his mouth, brow furrowing.

"Why is that?" Natasha asked, voice sharp and eyes intent. If it disturbed Loki...

Loki leaned back slightly, a slightly contemplative expression on his face as he pondered how to explain. "The Soul Stone is very, ah, willful, shall we say. When in pieces – and it is often in pieces – it tends to bond with humans. It is from there that it is... frightening."

"Explain," Fury ordered curtly, one step from pacing.

Loki shrugged. "The Soul Stone is a powerful magical object. With a bond, it gains close ties to the subject, which gives it a large locus of control. From there… well, I cannot say, for I do not know. But trust me, Director, you do not want to be under the control of a magical object." He smiled tightly. "It is bad for one's state of mind."

"Why aren't you certain it's in pieces if it's been broken already?" Steve wanted to know, frowning in thought, trying to think of anything he might have seen or heard.

Loki waved a hand dismissively. "The Infinity Stones can be reformed; all that must be done is to find the largest piece. It's a rather simple matter, actually, at least for one such as me." Then, expectant, "Director? The stones?"

Fury let out a long, irritated breath, paused in thought, and then, finally, decided, "Search for the Mind Stone. Sounds to me like it'll be easier to find." He raised one eyebrow expectantly. "And the Soul Stone shouldn't be much of an issue on its own… should it?"

"I should think not," Loki admitted. He smirked slightly. "Very well."

And he closed his eyes, stretching his senses out for the signature of the stone he'd felt only once before, but remembered so well.


	2. Unnatural Manifestation

It took two days of searching to find what they were looking for, and Tony could honestly, sincerely say that he really, really wished they hadn't.

They were in a small town in Europe that Loki had brought them to, claiming to sense a faint signature. So they'd gone, and they'd followed Loki through the streets.

"So…" Tony drew out the word as he cast his gaze around. "What are we looking for?" Despite the lightness of his words, his brown eyes were sharp and intent, the line of his mouth completely serious.

At that moment, Loki turned his head sharply, but all it landed on was a human.

"Loki?" Thor asked urgently, having not nearly the aptitude for magic that his brother did.

Natasha got a bad feeling. Her eyes narrowed and she took a small step forward, stance dropping slightly; she hadn't survived this long without learning to trust her gut. Clint glanced at her.

"Natasha?"

Seconds later, the man turned his head to look at the woman beside him, and a grin, wide and unnatural, stretched across his face, and the skin of his forehead split down the middle, letting… something… burst out into the open. Bruce let out a slightly inhuman growl and stepped back; when Tony looked at him, his eyes were bright green, and his skin tinted the same color. Whatever it was, the Hulk didn't like it.

A giant, balloon-like thing, eerie in a way that Tony couldn't quite put words to and several times their size, floated over their heads, with a mask as a face and cannon-like appendages spiked all over its body, radiating… something. Something Tony couldn't quite put a name to, but which made most of the regular people around start running and screaming. Within moments, the street was abandoned save for them, which was good.

"That is… an interesting manifestation," Loki mumbled, looking ill. What was he seeing that they weren't? Or feeling?

"Loki." Thor was frowning, too, though he didn't look ill. "It feels… wrong."

"It  _is_  wrong," Loki muttered, fingers twitching. "I would never have thought."

"What is it?" Steve asked, shifting into a more guarded stance, eying the thing warily.

"I do not know," Loki admitted. "If I did not know better, I would say that the soul of a Midgardian had been implanted into the body, but… It is improbable. Necromancy is a difficult art, one that does not manifest naturally, and has been banned for centuries, regardless."

"The hell?" Clint muttered, an arrow aimed at the creature. After a moment, he let fly.

The creature was unaffected. It proved this by taking aim at Clint and firing a barrage of bullets, making him curse as he hastily dropped from his former perch to the ground.

"Nothing your weapons do can affect it," Loki informed him, almost haughtily. "Creations of the Mind Stone are such that they can only be affected by those of the other Infinity Stones, of which…" He held out his hand toward the creature and clenched his fist. A green glow seemed to spike from it, hitting the creature and making it freeze in the middle of taking aim again, this time at Steve. "The Soul Stone is most effective."

The creature imploded, making the other Avengers duck for cover.

"Of course, a simulation of the stone's signature does just as well, with the right power behind it," Loki finished, looking self-satisfied.

"Are you finished showing off yet, Reindeer Games?" Tony asked, warily poking out from behind a building, which was riddled with bullet holes and explosion marks.

Loki nodded.

"Right." Tony moved out from behind the building, which now had chunks of creature in it. "Great. I love mystery creatures that are immune to normal weapons. Now what? What was that?"

"If I had to guess," Loki replied, dropping his voice slightly, green eyes intent, "it is… well, it is an abomination. I sense within it both a soul and despair, along with one of your Midgardian machines."

"Machine?" Tony complained, offended on behalf of machines everywhere.

Loki chuckled. "Well, perhaps not one of yours," he conceded.

"We can't just leave it," Steve protested, concerned. "Look at what it did to just the abandoned street."

"And we won't," Loki promised. "Now, we wait for Fury to ask around."

And they did. Or rather, they passed it on the Fury and he made Natasha go on a mission, which, to Tony's ongoing consternation, she refused to admit the nature of.

Tony would make her explain one of her missions someday. He  _would._

But for now, Natasha had a mission. No matter what it was, no matter how strange or supernatural, someone, somewhere, will have heard of it, and from there? Well, all roads lead to Rome.

And that was why, two weeks later, Natasha was sitting in a bar, pretending to be tipsy and talkative.  _Again._

"I hear that there are strange things happening around here," she commented idly, leaning forward to look at the man across from her, whispering almost secretively and watching him closely.

The man's eyes widened and he stiffened, gaining a look like a hunted animal.

That would be consistent with every other response she'd gotten, discounting those who didn't react with anything but confusion.

Whatever was going on here, people were  _terrified_  of it. Most things, even scary things, some people would talk about, even if only in whispers, when their fear was dulled by alcohol or sex.

Not this.

"There's nothing," the man insisted, eyes darting about as if to look for a threat. Like just the implication of it would bring the creatures running. "Nothing at all, miss, you've heard wrong."

"Oh." She sighed, leaning back, as though disappointed. Which she was. "I wish I knew what to do… It's terrifying, you know, to think what's out there."

No response. Nothing but fear.

She stood, leaving her drink behind as she left yet another useless bar, not a bit wiser than when she'd entered. The same old story with the same old tone.

That was when another man, one who'd been eying her speculatively, came out behind her. She sighed and rolled her eyes, a rare show of emotion. She didn't really want to deal with this right now.

She turned around to give the man a piece of her mind and then paused.

He was grinning at her. Wide, manic, almost inhuman. And hauntingly familiar.

A moment later, the skin down his forehead split, and a creature, the same one from before, burst out of his forehead. Her eyes widened, if only slightly, and she took a step back, hand going straight for her gun, clutching it.

It, though – it seemed to grin at her, knowing she was alone, knowing that, without Loki, there was nothing she could do.

It was the Hulk all over again.

The thing slowly, but not slowly enough, twisted its monstrous limbs to aim at her, and though she knew it would do her no good, she drew her gun and aimed, only firing once before –

"Lau Jimin! Activate!"

A monkey – a giant, viciously aggressive monkey, but still a monkey – flew over her head and attacked the akuma, pummeling it with angry fists bubbling with searing green energy.

Natasha blinked.

There weren't a lot of things that surprised her, not anymore. But when the akuma exploded under the force of the monkey's blows…

"A strange sight, isn't it?"

She looked over her shoulder to see a blonde woman with violet eyes striding toward her casually. The woman nodded to the monkey.

"That's enough, Lau. It's very dead."

The monkey looked at her for a moment, then chattered and shrank down until it was of a more average size – Natasha would almost go so far as to call it cute – and then scurried over and up the woman's side, settling on her shoulder.

"What  _was_  that?" Natasha asked, slipping a little wonder into her voice as she made the gun vanish and silently activated the comm unit, straight to Nick Fury.

"An akuma. Level one," the woman answered, tipping her head toward Natasha in a silent nod of acknowledgement. "I am General Cloud Nyne, of the Black Order. We fight these creatures." She grimaced slightly. "And I'm sorry you had to see that. It's not something that you can forget."

 _"The Black Order?"_  Fury's voice was a mixture of disbelief and frustration. Natasha silently agreed; it wasn't unheard of for something to occasionally slip under Fury's nose, but an entire organization? That  _was._   _"What the fuck is the Black Order?"_

"The… Black Order?" Natasha asked, as though tasting the words on her tongue.

Nyne gave her an appraising look, and then nodded. "Yes. It's an underground organization dedicated to fighting akuma, and, more recently, the Noah who lead them. As I say, though, it's deep underground. Word-of-mouth only and top secret."

 _"Romanoff."_  Fury's voice was certain, tense, as he made the split decision that was clearly required.  _"Infiltrate the Black Order. Now."_

 _Yes, sir,_  Natasha replied back silently, and then, to Nyne, asked, "Is there… anything I can do to help?" She looked worried, which she was, and tentative, which she wasn't.

Nyne's eyebrows shot up, and she looked Natasha up and down again. "I suppose we're always short on finders, and it says quite a lot that you didn't turn and run. But I warn you, once you sign up, there's no turning back. You can't contact your family, or your friends."

That was curious. "Why not?" She widened her eyes slightly.

Nyne's expression turned grim. "Akuma are made when the Millenium Earl offers a human the chance to bring back the soul of a loved one, and they accept. There's a high turnover rate at the Black Order, and if they find out that you've died, you could end up an akuma." Her nose wrinkled. "And no one wants that."

Akuma suddenly became a lot more frightening. Natasha could see what Loki meant when he called the Tesseract 'the tamest of the Infinity Stones'.

That was also a frightening thought.

"I can do that," Natasha replied softly, as though regretful. A lie, of course, but the comm unit they used for her undercover missions was virtually undetectable.

 _"Go,"_  Fury hissed.

"Good." A smile, colder than Natasha would have expected, curled Nyne's mouth. "If you're sure, and you have nothing more to do, then let's go. My mission's done, I can escort you back."

Natasha nodded once, almost hesitantly, and stood, following after the other woman within moments.

Easy as pie.


	3. Agent Finder

Two days, a train ride, and an explanation later, Natasha looked up at the castle on the towering cliff above them, then turned and gave Nyne a flat look.

She chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, we don't have to  _climb_  it." Then, lower and amused, "Someone ought to have told Walker that." Back to Natasha, she continued, "There's an elevator over there." She indicated an area off to the side, and Natasha nodded, making a mental note of its location before following the general to it and taking it up.

Once they were inside, Nyne called over a man in a tan cloak and said carelessly, "Someone needs to initiate this woman, make sure it happens."

And she left. Just like that, not even glancing back.

The man gave Natasha a hopelessly confused look, which she replied to with an expectant one. The man sighed, resigned. "I guess I'll initiate you, then." Under his breath, "It's not like I don't have anything else to do."

"Initiate?" Natasha asked, gaze intent, hyperaware of her surroundings.

The man waved his hand a little, vague and airy, as though to explain. "Show you around, tell you what to expect and who to avoid. It's something that needs to be done with new finders or else they die. Er, die faster."

She frowned. "There are people you should avoid around here?"

The man shivered. "Oh, yeah. The exorcists, for one."

"Why?" Natasha hadn't needed to be so unsubtle in her prodding for information in a while.

"They're _crazy,"_  the man said emphatically, waving his hands emphatically, beginning to take her along the hallway. "Like, really crazy. But they're also the only ones who can fight akuma. That's why we're here, to support them." He paused. "Uh, how much did General Nyne tell you?"

"Not much," Natasha admitted, looking at him. "She explained about akuma and Innocence, as well as what the Order is currently trying to do."

"Right. Well, finders – that's us in the tan cloaks – are mostly here to support the exorcists, who do the actual fighting." He grimaced. "As to what to expect? Death. Swift, painful death."

Well. That wasn't too different from normal, really. "Just like that?" she asked, morbidly curious. In her experience, people who were convinced they were going to die didn't continue their line of work unless it was for a very good reason, and even then, they remained foolishly optimistic. She saw it in SHIELD all the time.

"Yeah. There's a reason exorcists are the only ones who fight – only their Innocence can actually affect akuma, and anything else that gets in their way dies and dies fast. That's usually us. You get one chance; one shot and you're dead."

Natasha was not becoming fond of this mission.

* * *

There were fourteen exorcists, six of which had a general-level Innocence, of which one (General Cross Marian, drunken and irresponsible, but a fighter few could match) had spent quite some time pretending to be dead and another (Allen Walker, Cross Marian's apprentice, with a smile almost as false as Natasha's and a general-level Innocence without the corresponding rank) contained one of the enemy, with whom they'd made temporary peace. Because apparently that happened here.

Every night for two weeks, Natasha had reported her findings to Fury, including the various missions she'd been on already. However, this time was the night that she had something of true worth, rather than a report of death and destruction that SHIELD received no other word of.

"They're going to attack Japan," she said, straight to the point, the moment she activated the comm. unit.

She could practically hear Fury's blink, followed by a dangerous-sounding growl.  _"Romanoff. Explain."_

She had to admit that there was a good reason for Fury's confusion. Japan had been lost for over fifty years – no one went in, and no one came out. There were no communications of any sort, either. It was completely cut off - didn't even show anything on satellite, like something was blocking it.

"Apparently, Japan was lost to the akuma fifty years ago," she explained, leaning back to watch the door warily. "It's become a center for the akuma forces and the Noah, with a population that's ninety percent akuma. Edo, by their word, is now the Noahs' home base, or at least houses it. In a month, they're going to attack."

 _"Fine."_  She could practically hear Fury mulling it over, thinking hard, and fought not to chuckle. She knew how Fury hated making split second decisions, but recently he hadn't had much choice. She didn't envy him in the slightest; she may have to go in and get the information, but Fury? Fury had to  _act_  on it. She'd take the missions any day… well, except maybe this one. _"Romanoff."_

"Yes?"

 _"Go find the damn Head – Komui, you said. You're representing SHIELD, Romanoff, make it good."_  His voice was grim, but decisive. _"We're going to offer an alliance."_

Natasha's eyes narrowed and she nodded, once. "Understood."

If ever the Avengers were needed for anything… well, she knew as well as he did that their lives were forfeit compared to Earth's population. Always had been.

* * *

Being Natasha, it didn't take her very long to locate the chief's office, and soon, she was standing in front of his sleeping body, eying him doubtfully.

Finally, she stepped forward and shook his shoulder, hard.

"Chief," she said crisply.

Komui snored. Natasha twitched.

"Chief!" she repeated, louder.

Snore.

The door clicked open and as she looked over her shoulder, a thinly veiled murderous expression on her face, a man holding a towering stack of paperwork stepped in, balancing it easily.

"Chief!" he said loudly. Peeking out from behind his burden, he caught sight of her expression and sighed, looking exasperated. "Oh. He's asleep, isn't he?"

She nodded. Once. Shortly.

"Chief!" the man bellowed, slamming his papers on Komui's desk as Natasha took a few steps back. No response. The man sighed, looking close to rolling his eyes, then leaned in close to Komui and whispered conspiratorially, "I hear Lenalee's getting married."

Natasha did not understand. It was a feeling that thus far seemed to be a growing trend around this place.

She understood less when Komui sat up straight, eyes wide and horrified. "Lenalee, _why?"_

The man spared a few moments to calm Komui, with repeated assurances that 'Lenalee' wasn't actually getting married, and then glanced at Natasha with a weary look.

"Look, I have to get back to work. Can you make sure this idiot actually signs these?"

"Reever, you slave driver," Komui whimpered, staring at the large stack of paperwork.

Natasha nodded curtly.

Reever sighed in relief and then left, door shutting behind him. Natasha, with as much dignity as she could muster, redirected her attention to Komui.

"Chief Komui," she said coolly, striding forward and reaching into her pocket. She pulled out an identification badge and held it out. "I'm Agent Romanoff; I'm here on behalf of SHIELD. We'd like to make you an offer."

* * *

**30 Days to Invasion**


	4. Move Along Now

Komui blinked at her, once, and then straightened up suddenly, instantly shedding all signs of indignity like a snake's old skin. "SHIELD? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that name. Does it stand for something?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." To his befuddled look, she conceded, "We're working on it." Serious again, she went on, "SHIELD tracks superhumans and, more importantly, superhuman threats, and intervenes when it deems it necessary."

Komui raised an eyebrow, settling forward slightly. "Why only intervene now? What changed?"

Natasha twitched lightly. That was a very good question. Why hadn't they found out before? This was big, big enough that someone, somewhere… But she didn't answer, instead asking, "Are you familiar with the Avengers?"

His eyes narrowed in thought for a moment, allowing himself to be redirected, and then he nodded. Still, he frowned. "I see. That was SHIELD's work?" His frown deepened slightly, gaining an edge of consideration. "What kind of offer are you making?"

"We're offering an alliance," Natasha replied, gaze unwavering.

Komui looked almost weary. "Unless you have a few accommodators hidden away, I'm not sure there's much even the Avengers can do."

"Actually, with my magic, I can bind a shard of the stone to anything I wish."

Komui let out a yelp and whipped around, staring at Loki, who was smirking at him from where he'd appeared behind the chief.

 _"The fuck – is Loki there?"_  Fury demanded in Natasha's ear.  _"Dammit, Romanoff, remind him that he's not allowed to fucking do that!"_

"Fury wishes me to remind you that you're not meant to teleport spontaneously," Natasha informed Loki monotonously as Komui recovered himself.

Loki smirked. "Ah, but it is so _fun._  You mortals startle so easily."

Komui shook his head, coming back to himself, and looked at Loki seriously. "I'm not so certain that's a good idea. We've tried to force bonds with Innocence before… it's never ended well." A shadow crossed behind his eyes.

"You misunderstand," Loki replied, leaning back casually, ignoring the stray papers laying about his feet. "I would not be forcing a _bond,_  precisely. I would bind the… Innocence, you say? To a weapon, thus making the weapon effective against…  _akuma."_  The word was said with distaste palpable in the syllables. "The connection with the weapon's user would be limited, at best. I do not believe that the Innocence could cause the user to Fall."

Natasha didn't understand. For this, she glowered at Loki, who smirked back, knowing full well why she was annoyed.

"But are you  _certain?_ " Komui pressed, looking uneasy.

After a moment of thought, Loki looked back to him and nodded.

Komui sighed, and leaned back. "Very well. In that case… I accept your offer."

* * *

After that, things were frantic. The Avengers finally called in their favor, and the Fantastic Four and the X-Men agreed to cover for them while they were gone. The Avengers left within a few days to go to the Black Order, along with Coulson, who would not be receiving an Innocence, but instead acting as a finder. (Tony found this suspect.)

Loki had been given six Innocences to use, and that was what brought them there, in Komui's office on the day of their arrival.

"I will bind one of these to one of each of your weapons," he explained, expression serious. Komui sat behind his desk, watching them intently and remaining silent. "Captain, your shield, if you will."

Reluctantly, Steve handed over the vibranium disk, and Loki placed the strange, glowing Innocence on top of it. From there, Loki held his hand over both of them and began to mutter under his breath. Slowly, very slowly, the Innocence melted into the shield, which looked little different for the change. Loki nodded once and passed the shield back to Steve, who ran his fingers over the edge of it, frowning slightly, feeling  _something_  off about it now. Something alive.

"Activate it," Komui said to him, appearing behind him and leaning over his shoulder in interest.

Steve started and then gave him a confused look. "Activate? It's a shield."

Komui gave him a soft laugh. "Yes, but it's also an Innocence now, Captain." Then, thoughtful, "But, of course, you wouldn't know how to activate it, would you…"

"Why don't you ask one of the exorcists to come?" Natasha suggested quietly. "They seem to be the only ones capable of it."

Komui smiled and nodded at her. "Of course! I'll send for Lavi, he'd like to see this anyway. Historical moment and all that."

"Why would Lavi be interested in a historical moment?" Clint demanded, slightly incredulous.

"He's a Bookman," Natasha explained for Komui, looking over as the man sent off a poor, unsuspecting finder who had been passing by. "It's his job to record as much history as he can, particularly of the hidden variety."

"Is this a common profession for your people?" Thor questioned, looking confused. "In Asgard, we have many scribes, but they do not do much but write. Never do they participate in battle."

"There is only one Bookman clan," Komui refuted, looking at Thor with a smile. "We're lucky to have some of them with us, quite honestly. Lavi did mention that he's never been a participant of a war before, simply a bystander."

At that moment, the door opened, admitting a redheaded teenager, maybe eighteen or nineteen. He wore a green bandana around his head and an orange scarf around his neck, while a black eye patch sat over his right eye. His left eye, left exposed, was a bright, emerald green.

"Hey, Komui," he called out as he entered, closing the door behind him to lean on it casually. "Whatcha need?"

At that moment, his eye landed on the Avengers, and Natasha was sure she wasn't the only one to see it suddenly go cold and calculating, examining them with all the interest of a scientist leaning over a microscope, before it was replaced by a bright grin that didn't fool any of them. "Hey, the Avengers! Never thought I'd see you here. What's up?"

That was not a typical response.

Komui smiled at Lavi in greeting. "Ah, Lavi! Just the man I was hoping to see." Ignoring Lavi as the boy complained that Komui had been the one who  _sent_  for him, he continued, "The Avengers seem to be having some trouble activating their Innocence. I expect you can help?" He sent Lavi a winning smile, ignoring the near-sputtering.

"Since when are the Avengers accomodators?"

Seeing as Komui didn't seem inclined to explain, Steve, smiling apologetically, took it upon himself to do so, trying to ignore the way Lavi's gaze sharpened with interest, intent on Steve in way Steve wasn't quite used to, even from Tony or Bruce.

Steve had a feeling that this moment was being noted even as he spoke, pages of history yet to be written flitting across the gaze of the boy before him, and when he finished, he was just the smallest bit relieved.

He wondered if all exorcists were like that, unnerving and intent and just that little bit not  _normal._

He suspected that they were.

* * *

**27 Days to Invasion**


	5. Innocence, Activate

"Right." Lavi settled back, sitting across from Steve comfortably. "You know what your Innocence is already, right?"

Steve nodded, setting his shield between them. Lavi shook his head, not watching as Loki reached his hand out for Natasha's gun, which she gave only reluctantly.

"No, no. Hold it. Like you normally do." Concentration and thought in his voice.

Looking at Lavi with a little bit of confusion, Steve picked it up and placed it on his arm, the way it was meant to go. He glanced back to Lavi, who was studying him intently.

"What now?" Steve asked, shifting a little.

Lavi 'hm'ed. "When you activate your Innocence… it's a feeling." He grinned. "Pretty cool, too. Like power. For an equipment type, it's pretty strong, though it's stronger for parasitic types." He tilted his head slightly, studying Steve again. "Tell me, Cap, do you remember what it felt like to get the serum? How it felt right after?"

Loki placed another Innocence onto Clint's bow as Steve nodded once, gaze growing slightly distant as he recalled the feeling. Lavi grinned, satisfied.

"Great. Well, the difference between the power of Innocence and your power now  _should_  be about the same as the difference between your old body and your new one. Remember the feeling of power and feel it now."

Steve's jaw clenched slightly, eyes falling shut, and his fists flexed, tuning out Tony's protests as Loki made him lay down so that the Innocence could sit neatly on his arc reactor.

"Command your Innocence to activate."

Steve opened his eyes, and looked at Lavi, and then his hand clenched on the rim of his shield. "Innocence, activate!" he said sharply, voice snapping out like a whip, firm and decisive.

And the shield flashed, green light rippling out from where his hand held it, and within moments, the entire rim of the shield glowed a toxic lime. Steve took in a sharp breath as power, rough and electric, shot up his arm and settled deep in his chest, humming every time he took a breath.

Lavi grinned. "Great!" He clapped Steve on the shoulder, chuckling. "That's the feeling of Innocence. Feels good, huh?"

Steve nodded, a little breathless, eyes wandering to Loki as he smirked at him, one hand resting over Thor's hammer as he finished melting the Innocence into it.

"It ruins the red-white-and-blue thing he had going on!" Tony complained, reaching over to poke at the shield. Natasha, without taking her eyes off of Bruce leaning away from Loki, punched him in the shoulder. He yelped. "Hey!"

"Since it's not a true bond, that's probably all it can do," continued Lavi, green eye amused even as he ignored the side scuffle. Bruce gave in and closed his eyes, letting Loki put the Innocence in his hands to meld it with his alter ego.

"All it can do?" questioned Steve, looking at him. "Can it usually do more?"

Lavi nodded, leaning back and laughing a little.  _"Oh,_  yeah. I can count on one hand the number of Innocences that actually maintain their original forms. Mine, for one."

"What is yours, anyway?" Steve asked.

"It's a hammer," Lavi said offhandedly, reaching down and pulling the small implement from his belt, waving it around a little.

"It's tiny," Thor said disapprovingly, entering the conversation. "It appears unworthy of use in battle."

Lavi looked over at him and raised his eyebrow in challenge. "I bet mine's bigger than yours is, thunder pants."

Thor growled at the challenge and held out his hand, silently commanding Mjolnir to come from where it sat a little way away. The hammer obeyed, landing in his hand. It was bigger than Lavi's.

Or it was.

"Big hammer, little hammer," Lavi said confidently. Green light surged through the hammer and Lavi gave a feral grin. "Grow, grow, grow!"

With each word, the hammer grew a little larger. When he was finished, it was indeed bigger than Mjolnir. A lot bigger. Thor's eyes widened slightly as Lavi rested his now-grown hammer on his shoulder, smirking.

"It grows?" He pouted slightly. "Mjolnir does not grow." He stared broodingly at his hammer.

"It grows a lot bigger than this, thunder pants," Lavi told him, snickering. "Controls elements, too, if I want." His eyes turned thoughtful again. "Tell me, uh… have you heard anything?"

Loki looked up sharply. Steve's brow furrowed and he shook his head.

"No. Should I have?"

Lavi shrugged, one eye falling to his hammer and regarding it thoughtfully. After a long moment, he smiled and shrugged, twirling it to make it shrink and then sheathing it again. "No. I guess not." He glanced up. "A lot of exorcists, they can hear their Innocences. Depends, sometimes, on the Innocence and on the accomodator. But I guess you're not really exorcists, huh?" He chuckled. "Bit of a correlation between exorcists that can hear their Innocence and exorcists whose Innocences sometimes operate independently, now I think about it."

"Will ours do that?" Bruce asked Loki gingerly.

Loki looked at him, considering. "I do not believe that yours will be any more independent than normal," he said finally. "The others, however…"

"What?" Steve said, slightly horrified.

"Hey!" Tony protested, hand darting up to cover his arc reactor. "You did  _not_  mention this before, Reindeer Games!" He looked genuinely disconcerted, and Loki offered an apologetic shrug.

"Hey, now, look at that!" Lavi snatched Tony by the arm and pulled the man to face him. "Why don't you go next!" He leaned down to the arc reactor, looking at it closely. "Hey, do you consider this a part of you?"

Tony gave him a flat look. "It extends three inches into my chest."

"Yes, then," Lavi concluded, leaning back to give him a grin. "You're probably a parasitic type user, in that case."

"A parasitic type?" Tony inquired, looking down at his arc reactor, distracted. "That means… what?"

Lavi's grin broadened and he chuckled. "Means the feeling'll be a lot more intense for you. You also might be a lot stronger, but it's not certain. Anyway, the power should extend to whatever the arc reactor powers. That's why you put it there, right?" He directed the last question to Loki, who nodded curtly.

"Right," Lavi said decisively, considering again. "Well, you still have to keep the feeling of activation in mind, but it'll be different for you. Allen'd probably be a bigger help here, but I can do fine."

"So what does it feel like?" Tony pressed, looking like a cross between fascinated and wary.

Lavi didn't answer for a long moment. Then, slow and careful, "From what Allen tells me, it's a rush of pure power, so strong it's almost painful, but addicting, too. Even now, it takes him a moment or two to get used to. That should be what it feels like for you. Can you picture it?"

Tony smirked at him. "Eye patch, if there's one thing I'm good at – and there's a lot more than that, believe me – it's imagining. Yeah, I can picture it."

Lavi grinned at him approvingly. "I like you! Picture it, then tell your Innocence to activate, like Cap did."

Tony shut his eyes, took in a sharp breath, and then said, calmer than any of them had expected, "Innocence, activate."

The arc reactor flickered, once, twice, and then the blue light flared green. Tony gasped slightly, a tremor ripping through him, but then he grinned, almost feral, and opened his eyes. "Hell, _yes,"_  he managed.

Lavi laughed. "Feels that good, huh? Try something else now. Summon your armor."

Tony, still grinning, shut his eyes and called the Mark XLII to him. The armor flew toward him, snapping easily onto his body, and when he opened his eyes again, he found the interface flickering green. He grinned again, though this time no one saw it past the green-glowing eyes of Iron Man. "I could get used to this."


	6. Not Quite Right

By the end of the day, all of them had activated their Innocence, though Natasha looked a bit skeptical of hers, glaring suspiciously down the glowing barrel of her gun.

Clint, though, looked pretty pleased with his endless supply of Innocence-fueled arrows as he tested their capabilities by shooting them at the ceiling lights, and Thor looked just as happy with the glowing runes on his hammer (though it sadly still could not grow).

Lavi, though, was becoming impatient, though it only showed to a trained eye like Natasha's. "Hey, Komui, can I go back now? When I left, Link was…" He gestured meaninglessly, but Komui seemed to understand, eyes widening comically.

"Oh. Oh! I see. Go on, then."

Lavi grinned, turning and waving at the Avengers. "Come if you like. I'm sure Agent Finder over there remembers her way around, though."

Natasha glowered at him, but Steve broke in just then.

"No, we'll go with you," he assured the boy. "I mean, we need to know who we'll be working with, right? And Natasha mentioned that the finders don't work with the exorcists often."

Lavi shrugged, starting to walk. "Yeah, pretty much. It's kind of complicated. See, exorcists usually work with finders, but finders don't usually work with exorcists. Follow me?"

Steve's slightly blank expression said that he didn't.

"Finders far outnumber exorcists," Natasha explained, walking briskly after Lavi. "So while most finders never see an exorcist, all exorcists work with finders for almost every mission, even if not very closely."

"How many of these exorcists are in this place?" Thor wanted to know, looking at Lavi.

"Counting you? Twenty-one," Lavi answered, not even needing to think about it.

Steve was astounded. "That few?"

Lavi gave him a little half-grin and nodded. "Being able to bond with Innocence is a rare ability; it's pretty picky, honestly." After a moment, he added, a hint of brooding to his voice and hand falling to his hammer, "And I've never heard of anyone _forcing_  it to obey before."

Loki smirked at him, but it was hollow. "Desperate times, Midgardian."

Tony poked at his arc reactor, which was back to its normal soft blue, suspiciously. "I don't think a semi-sentient substance can really afford to be picky. Can it afford to be picky? No. So why is it picky?" It hummed at him. He considered growling back.

Lavi shrugged, grinning again with slight amusement. "Who knows?"

"The Soul Stone is very discerning," Loki explained loftily, eyes growing thoughtful. "It is very…  _judicious,_  in its selection. I believe all of those it chooses are perhaps those who are at their strongest when the situation is… dire."

Lavi considered. "Sounds about right," he admitted. "Whatever it takes to be able to survive the life of an exorcist, I guess." Clint frowned slightly.

He sped up slightly, and within moments, they had arrived at the cafeteria. Once he – and, by extension, the Avengers – had collected his meal, Lavi headed straight past the many, many people in tan cloaks, instead going for a mostly empty table with only a man with white hair, who sat half-hunched as another man with blond hair tied back in a braid scowled at him, looking as though he were gearing up for another in a long line of scoldings. Tony knew the look well.

Lavi strode right up to the table and dropped down beside the white-haired man. "Hey, beansprout," he said cheerfully.

The man – or boy, they could see as he turned toward them – looked enormously relieved. "Hi, Lavi." Silver eyes landed on the group who had decided to settle at the other end of the table turned slightly apprehensive. "Why are the Avengers here? I thought the Order was keeping a low profile."

"Hey! We can be low profile!" Tony objected, looking put out.

Natasha looked at him and gave him a flat look. "Stark, you fight in a large, shiny metal suit. And let's not forget Hulk's propensity for mass destruction."

"So?"

Clint snickered.

Thor, settling at the very end, grinned at the boy. "Hello, my friend! Might I ask your name?"

The boy blinked once, slightly surprised, and then smiled at Thor and held out a hand. "Allen Walker."

Thor took it and shook it enthusiastically, making Allen wince slightly.

"The Avengers are here to help out some," Lavi explained, casual as anything. "Loki," he nodded to Loki, who was examining Allen with unaccounted-for interest, "did something to their weapons."

Allen blinked. "He forced a bond?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"No," Loki explained patiently, still looking at Allen intently. "I molded the Innocence to their weapons." After a brief moment, he continued, "I did not believe that it was possible for the Soul and Mind stones to coexist in the same body."

Allen blinked in confusion and gave Lavi a questioning look. Link interrupted, looking grumpy about the whole interruption.

"I believe he is referring to your Innocence and the Fourteenth, Walker."

Allen blinked again, realization dawning over him, and he gave a strained smile, placing a hand on his chest. "Oh. Yeah, it's, um. Something. How did you know?"

"I can sense their magic in you," Loki explained carelessly, turning back to his meal.

And that, apparently, was that.

Moments later, though, the door slammed open, drawing about half of all eyes to it as a long-haired, scowling boy entered, letting the door swing shut behind him, hand trailing behind with a blood-red bangle on it. Steve's eyes widened in recognition.

"Yuu!" he exclaimed, surprised.

Kanda froze, for the briefest of moments. A second later, a sword appeared in his hand, pressed to Steve's throat. The bangle was gone, and a scarred stigmata was just visible on his wrist.

"Don't call me that!" he snarled, navy locked with sky and not a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

Thor half-rose from his seat, hand going straight for Mjolnir even as Bruce closed his eyes, counting his breaths as his monitor began to beep. "You dare-"

"No, it's alright," Steve interrupted hastily, a flush of embarrassment lighting up his cheeks. Carefully, he leaned away from the razor-sharp blade. "Sorry, you just… remind me of someone I knew."

Kanda glared at him suspiciously for a moment longer, but then he 'che'ed, turned, and swept toward Jerry's window without so much as a backwards glance.

Relaxing back into his seat, Steve sighed, gloom hanging over him like a drape.

"What was that?" Natasha asked, sharp eyes on Steve.

Steve shrugged, a rueful smile tugging at his mouth. "Sorry. He looked like someone I used to know; I guess he's his grandson." He frowned. "It's just… he looks _just_  like him."

Lavi froze, just for a moment, and then asked, carefully, "Who?"

"Yuu Kanda," Steve answered, fingers drumming on the table. "Someone I worked with, back in the war." He chuckled. "Never thought he'd settle down."

Allen's eyes widened slightly and darted to Lavi's. Lavi nodded slightly in agreement and put a finger to his lips in a rare moment of discretion.

Allen caught the message and gave an easy, disarming smile and a shrug without missing a beat. "Well, I guess everyone settles down eventually."

Natasha's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but only Clint caught it. To his questioning look, Natasha just shook her head slightly.

But it was clear that there was more to Yuu than met the eye.

After that, both groups lapsed into their own conversations. Half-listening as Lavi and Allen talked a seat over, Natasha let her gaze drift to Tony as he clapped his hands and spoke.

"So! Exorcists. Thoughts, anyone?"

"Creepy as fuck," griped Clint. "Have you seen their  _eyes?"_

"What about them?" Bruce frowned.

Clint jerked a thumb at Loki. "They're like _his_  were before. Crazy as a damn bag of cats."

Loki gave him a faintly offended look. Thor bristled. The others just accepted this; Clint's eyes missed nothing. Finally, though, Thor admitted, grudgingly,

"Aye. They do seem most unusual."

"You didn't think that the Stone would bond with just anyone, did you?" Loki added with a slight smirk. Clint shuddered.

"I was trying to  _forget_  that conversation, thanks."

Loki's smirk widened. "I know."

Clint sent him a scowl, but Bruce interceded.

"The Innocence feels odd," he announced, breaking it up. He looked down and frowned, pressing a hand over his stomach, then looked back to his food and frowned again. "I think I'll need more than that."

Lavi took that moment to look over and grin. "Parasitic type users eat more than most," he threw out casually, smirking. "That means you and Stark." He nodded to the heretofore ignored plates beside Allen. "That's how much Allen eats." He smirked at them and their slightly stunned expressions. "Have fun."

Both Bruce and Tony went back several times before an entirely too delighted Jerry suggested that he take his own guess at their portions.

When they got what he gave them, they were certain it would be too much.

It wasn't.

Thor pouted.

* * *

**26 Days to Invasion**


	7. Check Out

The next morning, Coulson was waiting expectantly outside the hall where the Avengers' rooms were, dignified in his tan finder cloak.

Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Natasha were polite enough not to comment on this. Loki smirked a smirk that spoke volumes, but said nothing aloud. Tony, on the other hand…

"What is  _that?"_  he asked, snickering shamelessly.

Clint, not two steps behind the billionaire, smirked at Tony. "Oh, you think that's bad, you should have seen the time with the-"

"The Chief requested that you meet him in his office as soon as possible," Coulson interrupted, voice bland. It was only logical; after all, all of the Avengers had now arrived. It had  _nothing_  to do with the story Clint was about to tell. Nothing.

"Already?" Steve asked, surprised. Beside him, Bruce's expression reflected his own surprise, a silent question in his eyes, and even Tony looked a little startled.

Natasha, however, was not.

"The Order is always in quite the hurry," she explained, already gliding down the hall with a step as smooth as her words. "A perpetual state of urgency, if you will. It shouldn't take long to get used to." She spared a single glance back, cool and impassive; she knew they could take it.

Coulson inclined his head toward Natasha. "Basically," he agreed.

"So you've been with the finders?" Steve asked him. He'd wondered where Coulson had disappeared to when they'd been shown in.

"Yes," Coulson confirmed, turning smoothly on his heel to follow after Natasha, silently prompting them to follow after him. "I've been gathering a little intel of my own; the general consensus seems to be that exorcists are frightening." He paused. "That seems to be the only general consensus."

"Not true," Natasha disagreed, recalling her own time as a finder. "They also agree that death is a guaranteed outcome at the Order."

Coulson nodded, conceding to her longer experience in this matter.

"Well, that's not depressing or anything," Tony muttered.

"Your average Midgardian tends to be absurdly fragile," Loki dismissed easily. "I believe that we should have little trouble."

"Aye," Thor agreed with a smile. "After all, we have long experience in battle."

"Speak for yourself," Clint muttered, recalling the hulking thing that was an akuma, and which was actually _bigger_  than the Hulk. Not cool. "Some of us are actually, you know, squishy. Not everyone gets superhuman endurance."

Loki inclined his head toward him, conceding the point.

"But it has to be done," Tony said, surprising in his finality. "After all, if we can't do it, who the hell can?"

Natasha ended the discussion by pushing her way into Komui's office. The man himself was awake this time; Natasha would guess that this was mostly, if not exclusively, due to the two exorcists sitting in front of his desk already, bored out of their teenaged minds.

"Lavi, Walker," Natasha greeted evenly. "You're going with us, then?"

Allen nodded. "Komui says that it'd be best for you to have a guide or two for your first mission," he explained.

"What's the objective?" Steve asked, blue eyes gone serious.

Komui spoke now, hands clasped behind his back as he stood behind his desk. "Just simple extermination. Trostburg, Germany has been declared an akuma nest, at fifty-three percent akuma. A nearby supporter noticed and alerted us, though most of them are still disguised as humans." He beamed. "It's like the life of an exorcist wrapped up in one small town!"

"Is that what we're doing?" Lavi asked with some surprise, ignoring the last comment. "Damn. That's cruel, Komui." He chuckled.

"What, you think we can't take it?" Tony challenged, one eyebrow cocked.

"It's not that," Lavi dismissed casually, waving a hand aimlessly. "I'm sure you can; you're not superheroes for nothing. It's just mean to throw you in head first, that's all."

"That's why I'm sending Allen with you," Komui said seriously. "You mentioned a phenomenon at Castle Krory concerning his eye, yes?"

Lavi shuddered at the memory. "That's  _more_  cruel." He shook his head, shaking the memory away, and asked, "So he's our failsafe?"

"Yes," confirmed Komui, smiling. Bruce found this very inappropriate.

"Why?" Bruce asked, inquiring after the apparent cruelty.

Lavi waved a hand again. "If everything goes alright, it won't matter. The point of this, after all, is to get you used to exorcists' normal conditions, and that's not. So it would defeat the purpose."

"This is to be taken as training, then?" Thor inquired, unexpectedly intent. Then again, he was a warrior prince, and one of the best of his people.

"No," Allen disagreed, slumping over himself with his arms crossed and a dark look on his face. "Training would be to throw you in the middle of a swarm and not tell you how to even  _activate your damn Innocence!"_  He scowled darkly and continued to mumble angrily to himself, though now under his breath.

"Is he alright?" Bruce questioned warily.

"Ignore him, that's his Cross face," Lavi told them, completely ignoring the fact that this explained nothing. Then, to Thor, "Yeah, this is basically training." Looking back to Komui, he continued, "That's it? No Innocence?"

"No Innocence," Komui confirmed. "You're just to clear it out."

"Right. Transportation's arranged?" Not waiting for an answer, Lavi hopped up and grabbed Allen's arm, pulling him up. Allen, not paying attention, followed the guiding motion without even pausing in his mumbled rant.

"I made arrangements earlier today," Coulson agreed, ignoring Clint as the other man watched Allen with a strange sort of fascination. "The name of the Order seems to speed things along substantially." Which was strange, because the first round of inquiries seemed to indicate that no one knew of  _anything_  strange, and the Order... Well. Apparently SHIELD needed better information extraction techniques.

Tony poked Allen. Allen didn't react. "Is he still in there?" he asked with interest.

Lavi paused, listened for a few moments, and then shook his head. "No, he's arguing with Neah now, and who _knows_  how long that'll take?" He snorted and grimaced.

"Neah?" Steve questioned, confused.

"The Fourteenth," Natasha elaborated.

Lavi paused and gave her an interested look. "I'd really like to know how you know that," he said conversationally.

"Keep wondering, Bookman Junior."

Lavi pouted and kept walking, one hand around a compliant Allen's wrist. "Aw, c'mon. For  _posterity."_

"No one sees Bookmen records but Bookmen."

"Exactly!"

"No."

Lavi pouted.

* * *

 ** _You're too soft and you always have been,_**  Neah told Allen.

"I'm okay with that, thanks," Allen muttered under his breath. It wasn't that he was unaware of his surroundings, but Neah generally took precedence. He'd like to  _not_  have his body conquered in a hostile takeover.

And speaking of which, why did it always circle back to this?

 ** _Grasshopper…_**  Neah sighed, a strange sound inside Allen's mind.  ** _You can't get things done like this. You know you can't._**

"Watch me," Allen growled, more irritated by the moment.

 _Would you like to tell Fiidora that, Neah?_  Crown Clown asked sweetly, voice icy. It was a trick question; Allen had killed Fiidora not long after Allen and Neah had made peace. Neah had been quite surprised.

Neah's voice hadn't taken much getting used to, if Allen was completely honest. At least, not as much as it might for a non-exorcist. This was because Allen had heard Crown Clown's voice in his head for… well, as long as he could remember.

 ** _Innocence._**  Neah's voice dripped with distaste, but it was also resigned; there was no Allen without Crown Clown.  ** _You would think so._**

 _Look._  Crown Clown sighed exasperatedly.  _We both have Allen's best interests in mind. Just because we have different ways of going about it…_

**_He is_ too soft. _He's going to get himself killed._**

"It's nice that you care," Allen murmured archly, allowing himself liberties with Neah that he'd only taken with Kanda since Mana's death.

 ** _Allen._**  Neah's voice had dropped; he was being serious now.  ** _I already agreed to let you handle this your way. But I'm not going to let you get yourself killed, Allen. You meant too much to Mana, and Mana means too much to me._**

"...Alright."

It always went the same way, and yet the argument always commenced.

"Allen? You awake now?"

Lavi looked slightly concerned, and Allen let out a soft sigh and nodded. Lavi grinned slightly.

"Good. We're just about there."

He nodded to the window, making Allen look back. Sure enough, they were slowing to a stop in a station, before which lay a – by all appearances – peaceful town.

It was only seconds after that that Allen's eye whirled to life, the silver gear settling over it as a grim smile settled over Allen's mouth, all thoughts of settling arguments gone from his mind.

Showtime.


	8. Touch and Go

The moment they stepped onto the station, Allen's eye activated in a whir of machinery, and Tony looked over with interest to find a gear slowly spinning over his left eye, silver one cool and calculating as his gaze swept over the town, a smaller gear by the large one flicking back and forth as if anxious.

Before Tony got a chance to asked what it was – and he really, really wanted to know what it was – Lavi gave Allen a silent, serious nod. Allen nodded back and slipped off, while Lavi lingered back, green eye gone wary and suspicious, hand hovering casually by his belt.

Clint was reminded sharply of Natasha during her first few months at SHIELD.

Of course, Natasha had been a lot worse.

"What is our plan of battle?" Thor asked Steve, a little too loudly and, Lavi thought privately, a little too gleefully.

Fighting akuma was  _serious business._

At least, fighting this many akuma.

…OK, so Lavi was looking forward to it, too. But from a rookie, it was just uncalled for.

At that moment, Loki caught his eye and smirked at him. And in the same way that Allen told Lavi that people could see the pages of unwritten history before his eyes, he found that experience of aeons etched behind Loki's.

For just a moment, a frown, deep and pensive, flashed across Lavi's face, but then he lifted his head and returned the challenge with one of his own.

Loki's smirk only widened as he looked away.

Oblivious to the byplay, Steve answered Thor's question with a shrug and looked at Lavi. Thor followed Steve's lead and looked at Lavi expectantly.

Lavi took his contemplative gaze from Loki and returned his attention to the group at large.

"Allen's keeping a lookout for akuma," Lavi explained, reaching into his pocket to pull out six silver pins. To Bruce's questioning look, he elaborated, "His eye can see the souls of akuma; he's the only exorcist that can tell them from humans for certain."

"How?" Tony interrupted, intensely interested.

Lavi, about to pass out the pins, paused to shrug. "Hell if I know," he said offhandedly.

"It is a curse, is it not?" Loki asked with a frown.

Tension rippled through Lavi's frame, there and gone in the blink of an eye. "Yeah," he agreed, though his tone suggested there was more to it. Before one of them could ask, though, he continued, "Since you're not really exorcists, you don't need uniforms, but you're  _really_  gonna want these." He indicated the pins they now held.

"Why's that?" Clint asked, turning the pin over in his hands.

"It tells people that you're working for the Black Order," Lavi explained. "But more importantly, it tells the akuma that you're an exorcist; that's why the finders don't have them." He nodded to Coulson, who had not received a pin.

Clint dropped the pin.

"But the element of surprise is among the best of tools a warrior can use," Thor objected, brow furrowed. Loki smirked to himself a little, though it was fond. Thor had made more of an effort to listen to his advice after he'd returned. It made a nice change from Thor just barging in head first. "Why would you eliminate that ability?"

"They didn't have it in the first place," Coulson explained, the first to catch on.

"Exactly," Lavi agreed. He tapped the insignia on his chest. "This is to take away their element of surprise."

"But we can't…" Natasha's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Tell them apart."

"Exactly," Lavi repeated, satisfied.

"I'm lost," Bruce announced, pinning it to the thigh of his pants anyway. No point putting it where he'd lose it as soon as he Hulked out, which was looking to be sooner rather than later.

"Without the emblem, it's left to the hand of Fate," Loki explained in a clipped tone.

"But the Rose Cross makes it more likely that if they approach you, they're an akuma," Lavi confirmed with a grim grin.

Steve made a concerned noise. "But what about the ones who are genuinely human?"

Lavi sighed and straightened up slightly, arms crossing over his chest almost defensively. "An akuma can kill you in less time than it takes to blink," he said, slowly and carefully. "Their bullets contain a virus that spreads throughout your body and kills you, unless you amputate the infected portion before it can spread."

Natasha grimaced; she'd seen more people die that way than she cared to think. She'd seen a lot in her time as an agent and an assassin, but that virus was something else entirely. She had also chosen not to share the details with her fellow Avengers; they'd find out soon enough.

Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath, counting to ten under his breath. Finally, once he was sure he wasn't going to Hulk out, he asked, "How long does that give you?"

Lavi gave a mirthless grin. "Seconds."

Bruce's heart monitor started to beep in objection and he went back to breathing.

"We would appreciate it if you didn't intentionally wind up Doctor Banner," Coulson informed Lavi blandly.

Lavi frowned. Then, "Right. Rage monster." To Coulson, "I'm not winding him up. It is how it is."

Steve nearly asked if the body was safe to handle. Nearly. But with the way Loki's mouth twisted slightly, the way Natasha winced and grimaced, he figured that it wasn't a safe question.

Lavi considered for a moment, and then, finally, continued, "There are four levels of akuma. Level ones are the weakest and the dumbest; they're the ones that all look basically the same. Level twos are a little smarter, but not much. Each of them has a different special ability…" Lavi chuckled a little, shrugging slightly. "But we take those as they come. Level threes are the bipedal ones in armor. If there's one of those here, Allen and I'll take care of it." He grinned for a moment, but it faded rapidly as he finished. "Level fours look like baby reject angels." Tony opened his mouth to question that, a grin of amusement on his face, but Lavi talked over him. "If you see one, run."

"Run?" Thor questioned with a frown.

"Run," Lavi agreed. Catching their expressions, he sighed. "That's not going to happen, is it?"

"You're both _younger_  than we are," Clint pointed out, sounding mildly offended that Lavi had even  _considered_  that they  _might_  run. "Both of you put together are  _still_  younger than most of us. We're not going to run."

Lavi let out a frustrated huff. "Whatever," he grumbled.

"Case in point," Tony muttered to Clint, who snickered.

"Go on, then," Lavi added, nodding ahead.

"Full steam ahead," Tony declared, starting on into the town. "Mission Blow Infinity Stone Bits to Bits is underway.

"Great," Bruce muttered, eying the people around them warily.

Lavi dropped back to watch them with interest, a little way away. Allen joined him a moment later.

"So far, so good?" Lavi asked.

Allen nodded. Lavi could see both his silver and cursed eyes tracking a few of the humans carefully, and, absently, he memorized the face of each one. Just in case.

As they progressed through the streets, Lavi could see the Avengers getting more and more tense as not a single akuma made to approach. Only Bruce, carefully keeping calm until the right moment, and Coulson, bland as ever, seemed unaffected. Lavi did note that the faces he'd made note of previously reappeared several times, and Loki tracked each one just like Allen.

Finally, one little girl scurried up to Steve and looked up at him with wide green eyes. "Sir," she said, voice high and childish. "Won't you please buy an orange? They're juicy." She held up a small orange in example.

He hesitated.

She transformed.


	9. Crashing Roar

Steve reacted just in time, swinging his shield off his back and ducking behind it just as the akuma fired, only hitting the vibranium surface of the shield.

"Innocence, activate," he hissed. Toxic green spun around the rim of his shield to form a bright lime ring. His words, though, were echoed behind him, and a luminescent rod had buried itself in the akuma before it was done transforming.

Steve looked up to find Clint with his bow out and up, glowing green, eyes dark and focused on the dead akuma.

"Careful, Cap," he warned, voice low, deadly serious.

Steve nodded silently and straightened up. Behind, Lavi whistled.

"Damn," he muttered. "Never seen reflexes like that outside a parasite before."

The akuma exploded into dust about then, and Lavi frowned as a light concentration of gas began to settle into the air.

"Ah, crap," he muttered. "I forgot to tell them that akuma gas is poisonous."

Allen turned his head to give Lavi an incredulous look. "Lavi. That's  _important."_

"Yeah, yeah," Lavi muttered, a little embarrassed.

As it turned out, though, this was a virtual non-issue, because at that moment, an akuma transformed from a man in a business suit. Then another out of a woman in a nice dress. Then a third, a teen boy in ragged jeans.

Then, abruptly, they weren't in the middle of a peaceful small-town street at all; they were in the midst of a battle that was already viciously in progress, and they were not prepared.

Coulson took advantage of the momentary mayhem this resulted in to duck away from the Avengers and toward the crowds of citizens, who were only just getting over their shock and starting to scream when he made to usher them away.

Several of them transformed and tried to kill him.

Coulson was unaffected.

Natasha's gun was drawn and active in as little time as it took to say the words, blazing lime bullets shooting from the barrel.

A few of them, she noted with a furrow of her brow and a brief glance downward, didn't come out on the first try.

Bruce had Hulked out within seconds, shirt tearing open and expression twisting into pain and rage, violent green sparks crackling along his body. Soon he was tromping off, fists smashing into akuma indiscriminately and with great glee.

Thor was swinging his hammer, driving it into akuma after akuma, a feral grin on his face and an excited gleam in his eyes. Loki hung back, covering Clint as he hustled up to the nearest impossibly high and nigh unreachable perch and making sure that all akuma attempts to sneak up on Thor ended in explosions and noxious dead akuma gas. Not that they were aware that it was noxious yet.

All in all, Lavi thought, letting his hammer enlarge as it dropped into his waiting hand, they adjusted pretty quickly to all this.

Then again, he supposed that this was the part that they were used to, the fighting, even at the drop of a hat. Maybe especially at the drop of the hat. It was the paranoia, the despair that they weren't used to. Not yet.

They would be, Lavi supposed. Eventually.

Tony, though, was having trouble, jumping around avoiding akuma and not able to stop long enough to focus on summoning his armor. Lavi moved to cover him, but a swish of white and Allen was already there.

"I'll cover you!" he called to Stark with a smile, already turning, the long claws of his left hand flexing slightly in anticipation.

"Gotcha, beansprout!" Tony returned, having already picked up on Lavi's nickname for the young exorcist.

"My _name_  is  _Allen!"_  Allen complained. A moment later, he leapt into the air, lashing out at a row of akuma. "Edge End!" he added, setting his claws aglow and making the blow that much more deadly.

Tony crouched down slightly, and with Allen keeping the akuma off his back, he closed his eyes and summoned the armor to himself. Each piece snapped into place one by one, rapidly covering his body, and each one bringing a little spark from the Innocence in his arc reactor, making it glow brighter and his grin wider.

Finally, he straightened, gold-titanium gauntlets curling into fists, and he gained a feral grin only JARVIS saw.

"Bring it on," he challenged, firing up the armor in a blaze of green.

Just then, the Hulk landed hard beside Allen, nearly squashing him. Allen didn't mind too much, just flashing a smile up at the bulky monster and taking off to delve into the depths of the fight, a little too pleased with this turn of events. The Hulk ignored him, gleefully tackling the first of the level twos, a bipedal with hammers for arms and a manic grin that soon reversed.

It didn't get to do much smashing.

"HULK SMASH!" Hulk bellowed at the smear of akuma on the pavement, stomping his feet and huffing proudly even as green sparks of Innocence ran up and down his arms. "PUNY MONSTER NO MATCH FOR HULK!"

"Yeah!" cheered Lavi, apparently pleased by this. Exorcists were  _insane,_  Steve thought amusedly, watching as Lavi brought down his (huge!) hammer on an akuma before it had time to do more than open its mouth. It was kind of alarming. "Go, Hulk!"

Hulk looked at Lavi and grinned, exposing his large tombstone teeth, and then moved on to hammer his fists on the akuma.

That one level two signaled the beginning of a whole wave of them, the level ones becoming simple afterthoughts in between.

Lavi had to admit, watching the Avengers fight was definitely awe-inspiring, even against an unfamiliar foe. They worked together seamlessly; Clint shot down an akuma pursuing Natasha as she got a lift from Tony onto the back of one akuma with an impenetrable-skin power that apparently didn't stand up well to bullets at point blank range. She called out a warning to Thor even as Steve nodded at him, and Thor threw his hammer into the trajectory of Steve's shield, sending both careening in different directions as Thor rolled out of the way of the falling akuma, which Natasha swung off of to collide feet first with a sword-armed akuma sneaking up on Loki. Loki gave her a curt nod and clenched his fist, blowing up another akuma before it could sneak up on Thor.

Unbeknownst to Lavi and Allen, the Avengers were having fairly similar thoughts about them, if substantially more disturbed. Allen leapt and took out an entire row of akuma with a swing of his claws, while Lavi grinned and called out, "Fire Seal: Hellfire and Ash!"

They didn't have to wonder what that did for long, because what happened was that a  _giant fire snake_  came out of the ground and started killing akuma.

Steve was very certain that the future was only getting more insane, and now it was getting  _disturbing_  as well. This did not make him happy.

Nor was he any happier when Tony suddenly noted, "He looks like a clown." Then,  _"Why_  does he look like a clown?"

Within moments of this, Steve noted that Allen  _did_  look somewhat like a clown.

As he noted this at the same time Allen activated Cross Grave, causing a large number of akuma to blow up, it did not make the situation anymore lighthearted.

"Whoa-a-a, what's that?" Clint asked over the comm, sounding mildly alarmed.

'That' was a bipedal, very  _dangerous looking_  armored thing, presumably a level three akuma, flying through the air to land hard on the ground, creating a small crater.

And for the first time, Steve heard an akuma speak. As none of the others had really had time to say much. Except 'Innocence'. He gathered that they hated Innocence, which made sense when tallied with Loki's explanation of the Soul and Mind Stones' rivalry, not that that made this any  _less disturbing._

"Exorcists!" it crowed, sounding entirely too delighted. "Master Noah told me to expect some, but which ones are you?"

"Does it matter?" asked Lavi casually, cocking an eyebrow. "You're dead no matter who we are."

"We'll see," it crooned, head turning to look at Clint, high on his perch. A moment later, "Say goodbye,  _exorcist."_

He didn't even see him move.

"Where'd it go?" Clint demanded, turning his head back and forth. Within moments, he spotted the akuma, honey yellow armor giving him away in the brand-new crater a little way away, Allen's distinctive white cloak standing over it, and long black claws buried in its chest, an unforgiving expression on the boy's face.

Allen murmured something to it, but none of them could quite hear what. Whatever it was, it made the akuma chuckle as it crumbled away.

The battle didn't last long after that, just a haze of chaos and adrenaline and akuma after akuma crumbling, leaving behind billows of strange gas.

Finally, they stood in the middle of the half-decimated street, breathing heavily and a little worse for the wear.

"All clear?" Lavi asked Allen between panted breaths.

Allen looked around, gaze intent, and then relaxed. "Not a one," he answered. "Let's get out of here."

Lavi grinned tiredly and nodded, pulling up his scarf and tying it around his head so that it covered his mouth and nose.

"Uh, why-" Clint coughed, not managing to finish his question.

"Lavi forgot to tell you that akuma gas is toxic," Allen explained, sending Lavi a slightly dirty look. "So everyone except Mr. Stark and the Hulk should cover their mouths and noses until we're out of it."

"Why not us?" Tony questioned, landing beside him.

"You're immune," Allen explained. "Because your Innocence is parasitic, it purifies your body of the akuma virus."

Steve nodded in acknowledgement, pulling up his shirt to cover his mouth and nose. Thor, Natasha and Clint followed suit, and Loki conjured up a handkerchief to do the same.

Lavi grinned again and spun his hammer in one hand, watching it shrink, and finally stuck in back into his belt. "Mission accomplished," he declared, voice slightly muffled. "Now let's go. This place stinks of akuma."

"Does it ever," Clint muttered, following Lavi as the exorcist started to move away somewhat hastily from the clouds of noxious gas.

"It's only been one day since we joined up with the Order and already things are becoming alarming," Tony noted with interest, following with clanking steps. "I like it."

"You won't for long," Lavi threw over his shoulder, casting them yet another grin. "It's all downhill from here, folks. You ain't seen nothing yet."

 


	10. Sheltered Life

Soon enough, they had settled on an abandoned street, hiding away from the remaining forty-seven percent of the population long enough to recover their bearings.

Steve, Allen soon noted, was frowning at his hands, which were smeared with red. Allen frowned and headed over to him, concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at them. The gloves were cut open, and there was a smear of red that was clearly blood, though the cuts were already healing. He'd forgotten that Steve possessed a healing factor.

Steve frowned. "My shield cut me," he explained, slightly disbelieving. He hadn't really taken more than a dim note in the heat of battle, but now it concerned him.

Allen frowned, too. "That's odd," he murmured. "It should have compensated for it – dulled the blade where you caught it. Did you make it angry with you?"

Steve gave him a disturbed look. Allen just looked at him expectantly.

"Innocence… is a little more sentient than most people know," Lavi explained, coming up beside them and picking up the still-active shield to examine it with interest, noting that the edges were as sharp as any blade. "I told you about the voices."

"That is characteristic of any item of great power," Loki allowed cautiously, watching as Steve's hands finished healing. "It would be far more alarming for it to be insentient, though I am not certain how the Stones are special in this."

"Great," Clint muttered."

"Is that why my gun wasn't shooting well?" Natasha asked suspiciously.

"Probably," Lavi admitted, setting the shield down.

A series of loud crunches signaled the Hulk's arrival, and they looked up at him as he approached in huge, clumsy footsteps. Finally, he announced, in a low, displeased tone,

"Green light not like Hulk."

Loki crossed his arms and started grumbling about independent items of power that didn't do as they were meant. At some point he started glowering at Tony's arc reactor, so Tony figured he was using fond memories to support his arguments to himself.

Tony let himself lean against a still-intact wall and smirked. "JARVIS, disengage the armor," he ordered.

A moment passed in which nothing happened. Tony frowned.

"JARVIS?" he inquired.

JARVIS' voice came clipped and inflectionless, as it always did when he was worried. "I seem to be unable to disengage the armor, sir."

There was a long silence. Lavi opened his mouth to make a guess. Tony beat him to it.

"Innocence, disengage the armor."

As if to say 'you only had to ask', the Innocence sparked out from the arc reactor to cover the armor in a bright green light. A moment later, it sank into his skin, not a trace left behind, and he fell a few inches to land neatly on the ground and grin.

"I think it likes me."

Loki grumbled, but he was the only one speaking, and even that soon trailed off in favor of a furrowed brow. Tony's grin faltered almost imperceptibly, fading slowly as it sank in.

It was some time before anyone actually spoke, but finally, Lavi shattered the silence with a wide, too-casual grin.

"Well, obviously it's not a _true_  bond," he said conversationally, as though they'd been discussing the matter for some time.

"Right," Allen agreed readily. "Mr. Stark just made a deal with his Innocence. Exorcists do it all the time, and the effects aren't always permanent."

"And with circumstances like these, it's almost certain not to be," Lavi continued, tone painfully casual. "So there's really no need to report it to Central. It's not even worth mentioning outside of my report to the old panda. He doesn't read those anymore, anyway."

"Fair enough," Allen conceded with a smile.

Loki's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Tony beat him to it, fingers drumming on the rim of the arc reactor.

"Let's say," he said, expression careless, eyes intent, "that it  _was_  a true bond. What then?"

Allen was the one who looked at him and smiled.

"Well, then you would be an exorcist."

"Which means…?" Loki let the question hand, one eyebrow raised.

"Exorcists are the Order's most valuable asset," Lavi explained, green gaze focused on something a thousand miles away, or perhaps a thousand years ago. "They are the only offensive forces at its disposal. Because of this, numerous attempts to replicate their abilities or even they themselves have been made, but each one has ended in dismal failure. So instead, they make sure to keep the ones they  _do_  have, which can mean anything from treating them before anyone else, to tying them down if they try to run, or even transplanting the brain of a dead exorcist into a new body."

He didn't say _'they can never escape.'_

He didn't really need to.

Lavi blinked, eye refocusing on the here and now, and smiled cheerfully. "But that doesn't matter, because you're _not an exorcist."_

To his credit, Tony barely blinked, flattening his hand over the arc reactor, before he smiled, as cheerful as Lavi's. "Of course not. I don't have crazy eyes."

While both exorcists tried to figure out what that had to do with anything, Clint resisted the urge to say that he kind of did.

"And if you start hearing voices," Allen added, voice quiet, hand drifting to his ear, "don't tell anyone." He smiled, strangely fond. "Don't worry. It'll look after you."

Tony glanced down, to the reactor that kept him alive, now filled with an entity that apparently liked him. "Will it, now," he muttered, with a humorless smile.

* * *

A camp was already being set up for those whose homes had been destroyed by the time the Avengers and the exorcists had arrived. Bruce had de-Hulked, and Thor had taken it upon himself to carry him, ignoring the looks shot at him, which ranged from concerned to wary.

They ended up sharing four tents near the edge of the encampment, and then another for Natasha, which she soon found herself sharing with another woman, who, fortunately for Natasha, preferred to keep to herself.

Nonetheless, she ducked into Clint's tent soon enough, and before long, Loki, Thor, Tony, and Steve joined them, crowding  _everyone_ out of the tent and causing them to end up circled outside.

At that moment, Lavi popped back out of his tent, looking at them expectantly. "Anyone hurt?" he asked offhandedly, green eye flicking over them.

"We're fine," Steve assured him, giving him a concerned look. "Are you and Allen alright?"

Lavi whistled appreciatively. "Damn. Superheroes, man." He shook his head, grinning. "Allen's got a burn on his leg, but besides that?" He grinned and punched the air. "Score!" He winced. "Ow."

"You liar," Clint accused with a grin as Lavi bit back a curse and clamped a hand over his arm.

"Yeah, yeah," Lavi grumbled halfheartedly. "Shut up. Damn invincible superheroes." He shook his head again. "Allen's going to go help out around camp. Anyone else?"

"I'll help," Steve volunteered immediately, making to stand. "The people around here were nice enough to let us in, it's the least I can do."

"You sound like Allen," Lavi complained, chuckling a little anyway.

"I will help also," Thor offered. Loki rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway. He'd gotten used to repair work, after. Even if this wasn't his fault.

Mostly.

"I'll ask Brucie when he wakes up," Tony asserted. "Then I'll go… move rubble. Or something." Just remembering the destruction made him uncomfortable.

And he had a lot to think about, anyway.

Natasha and Clint didn't say anything, but they nodded, too. Coulson just tilted his head toward them and slipped off silently to go on alone.

Soon enough, Allen emerged from his and Lavi's tent, the only evidence of the apparent burn on his leg being a slight limp, almost unnoticeable. "Let's go," he said with a smile.

They went to the first unofficial director they saw, easy to identify by the concentration on their face and the people occasionally going to them for direction.

The man smiled at them in gratitude and then sent them off in teams – Loki and Thor to move debris, Natasha and Clint to set up more shelters, and then Allen and Steve to hand out food.

They'd been passing out food with no word to each other for quite some time before Steve finally spoke, asking the question that had been bothering him for some time.

"How long have you been doing this?"

Allen started slightly and looked up at him questioningly. "Doing what?"

"Hunting akuma."

Allen let out a little 'oh' sound and smiled. "Since I was about ten. That's when Master Cross took me in and made me his apprentice. I wasn't officially an exorcist until I was fifteen, though."

"Why when you were ten?" asked Steve, disturbed.

Allen paused, his face shutting down. Then he smiled again. Blankly. "That's when my Innocence activated."

There was more to it. Steve didn't ask.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes. Every time they ducked into a tent, Allen would smile at the occupant, friendly and supportive, and Steve, either a step behind or a step ahead, would smile, too, apologetic and earnest.

Steve, again, was the one who restarted the conversation. "You seem to really enjoy this."

Allen looked up at him, smiled, and nodded. "I do. Everyone here is so brave, and it is partially my fault, so I feel like I should help. Besides, it's nice to be able to meet all these people." His expression was comfortable, almost content, like he was more at home handing out food to people he'd never met than anywhere else. He looked at Steve. "You seem like you understand. Don't you?"

Steve thought back to refugee camps and ambushed towns and nodded. "I do."

Allen smiled, as if to say 'See?', and turned away, poking his head gently into the newest tent. "Ma'am? Would you like something to eat?"

Steve smiled and they went back to work.

* * *

**25 Days to Invasion**


	11. Talk of the Town

The next morning, the Innocence users apologized and left early, on the first train that arrived that day. Half the town (well, a quarter of the town) waved them off. Allen, Lavi, and Thor waved back.

The train pulled out of the station and Thor sat down again beside Loki with a broad grin, which didn't falter even as Loki rolled his eyes at him. Lavi followed with a grin of his own, and then Allen with a small smile.

With the people out of sight, Lavi's smile turned bitter. "Wonder how long they'll last before the akuma come right back." He snorted.

"What do you mean?" Natasha questioned, eyes narrowing suddenly.

Allen smiled.

"You remember how akuma are made, right?" he asked.

A few cautious nods.

Allen nodded to the fast-shrinking town. "Over half that town is dead – mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, children." He looked back to them. "Death creates grief, grief can become tragedy, and tragedy attracts the Earl. Lavi's saying that it's only a matter of time before somebody tries to bring one of them back, and the whole cycle begins again."

"You mean that was for nothing?" Clint demanded.

Allen shook his head. "No. We explained about akuma; if they're careful and stick together, they'll be fine."

"It's amazing what a community can do at times like this," Steve added. "They'll be fine."

"Optimists," Lavi muttered, rolled his eyes. But he leaned back, and he didn't look nearly as moody, one second off a grin.

"You are  _exactly alike,"_ Tony noted with fascination. "Except for where the beansprout's British. Does that make him Captain Brittanica?"

Allen's smile twitched in irritation. Lavi snickered. Allen hit him.

"Tony," reprimanded Steve. Tony raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm just asking!"

Coulson sighed. Why were the Avengers so childish?

Lavi snickered. Who knew the Avengers were so hilarious?

Bruce finally spoke up, making a few of them jump, a hint of worry creasing his brow. "What are we going to do about our Innocence?"

Lavi shrugged, grinning, and leaned back. "Easy. We tell Komui, he lights a fire under the collective butts of the Science Department, and the problem is solved within a week."

Loki raised his eyebrows and said dryly, "Somehow, I doubt that the Soul Stone will allow its mysteries to be solved so easily."

"It won't need to," Natasha monotoned. "From what I hear, Headquarters' Science Department is like an entire department of  _Stark,_ except slightly less intelligent."

Tony raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Slightly?"

Natasha nodded. "Slightly."

Tony suddenly looked very, very interested.

"I don't want to work with them anymore," Bruce mumbled. "One of him is quite enough."

Tony grinned, reached out, and flung an arm around Bruce's shoulders. "Aw, Brucie, you know you love me!"

"You poke me unexpectedly with sharp, pointy objects." Despite his words, Bruce was smiling slightly as he tried to escape Tony's grasp.

Lavi scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, fair warning? The scientists at Headquarters are chosen for their genius and their creativity. Not their common sense."

"Does that mean they'll poke me, too?" Bruce asked wearily.

"Probably."

Bruce groaned.

"They are  _just_ like you," Clint said to Tony. Tony grinned.

"Common sense is overrated."

"Although…" Lavi drummed his fingers against his thigh, green eye focused on something only he could see. "None of our scientists specialize in magic, and that looks like something they'll need." Pause. "Loki?"

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Yes?"

"You have the most magic study under your belt. If you, Stark, and Little Green work with our scientists, the problem could probably be solved within a couple of days."

Loki studied him. "How quickly do these scientists of yours pick up new material?"

"Johnny learned the fundamentals of radiology within a week after Tapp died," Allen offered. "And then a month after that he was doing a lot of the things Tapp used to. And that was on his own, _while_ he was making the exorcists' new uniforms."

Loki considered that for a moment, and then, finally, nodded. "Very well. I suppose I could teach them what they need for this much."

Allen smiled gratefully, then looked at Tony, who grinned. "Sounds like fun."

"Sounds like explosions," Clint muttered.

"Those happen anyway," Lavi dismissed. "Bruce?"

Bruce sighed and nodded.

Lavi grinned. "Great!"

"How long  _have_  youbeen studying magic?" Allen asked Loki curiously. "Have you always studied magic?"

Loki's expression turned faintly startled. He answered anway. "Of course not. I, as is expected of an Asgardian prince, began my training as a warrior. However, when I was just under a century in age, I became interested in the art of magic…"

Allen listened, interest clear in every line of his body, and asked what, judging by Loki's expression, were all the right questions. Unnoticed by either, Lavi stifled a snicker. Steve shot him a questioning look. Lavi just shook his head.

Allen just kept asking questions, and Loki kept answering. Eventually, most of them – save for Lavi, strangely enough – dissolved into their own conversations.

They were halfway to Headquarters before Loki's expression abruptly turned startled again and he laughed suddenly, startling the group. "That was quite good, Midgardian."

Allen tipped his head and gave Loki a confused look. So did Thor.

"But I must ask," Loki continued, "what use have you for my tale?"

Realization dawned in the eyes of most of the Avengers. Allen smiled, a little sheepish for having been caught out.

"Not me," he explained. He looked over and smiled at Lavi. "But Bookman will be pleased, right?"

Now it was Lavi's turn to laugh in surprise. "Yep."

Allen smiled and looked back to Loki expectantly. Loki smirked. "I do appreciate a good ploy," he conceded, and then continued as though he had never noticed.

Lavi turned to Steve and mouthed,  _'You're next.'_

Steve winced.

* * *

Komui greeted them in his office, smiling far more happily than the mission had called for. "Lavi, Allen, Avengers! How did the mission go? I trust everything went smoothly?"

"I dunno, I only feel this crappy after missions that were complete trainwrecks," Clint muttered.

"Don't worry, it always feels like that," Lavi assured him.

These people were  _freaks._ Clint didn't know why they felt the need to prove it so frequently.

"Some of our Innocences are presenting a problem, though," Steve added, looking uncomfortable and apologetic.  _And one of them likes Tony too much,_ he didn't add.

Komui stance straightened, gaze sharpening with interest. "Is it really?" He smiled. "Well, I'm sure our Science Department will be able to handle it." His eyes gleamed with vindictive glee.

Ten minutes later, Loki, Tony, Bruce, and, strangely, Steve and Allen had been dragged down to one of the labs and promptly been swarmed by scientists.

Within moments, Steve and his shield had been hooked up to a number of strange-looking machines, as had Allen and the strange black arm Steve was only just seeing for the first time. Loki, Tony, and Bruce, meanwhile, had been bundled off and were already deep in discussion with a number of white-coated scientists, all of whom looked inordinately interested.

"What just happened?" Steve wondered aloud.

"The Science Department happened," Allen replied, slightly groggily, shaking his head as if to dispel dizziness. Then, with a fond, slightly exasperated smile, "They did the same thing after my Innocence evolved."

Steve looked over, brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Innocence can evolve?"

Allen shrugged and nodded. "Under the right circumstances, yeah."

"The right circumstances?" Steve frowned. "Like what?"

"Mortal peril, usually."

Steve didn't even know why he asked anymore. He sighed, let his head fall back, and listened halfheartedly to the science babble.

* * *

**24 Days to Invasion**


	12. Trial and Error

"-if you simply consider the collective consciousness of-"

"-and we have to keep detailed records of the exorcists, since-"

"-just can't see what problem it has with Capsicle, he's like a righteous little ball of goodness-"

"Maybe something to do with resolve-"

"-count the Fallen Ones differently, what the hell do we do with them?"

"Fallen Ones?" Steve wondered aloud, glancing at Allen, who winced, hands pausing where they were shuffling a deck of cards yet again. Steve tried not to notice that several of them were bloodstained.

"Don't ask," Allen advised.

Steve shrugged and returned to sketching a careful outline of Allen, lounging comfortably on the steel examination table across from him, cards laid out across the table while he glanced up from them with his characteristic smile.

"That's really good," Allen commented with said smile, not moving from his position, which Steve was grateful for; it was more than Tony did when Steve was sketching him. "Do you practice a lot?"

"Whenever I can," Steve answered. "It's been a hobby of mine for years." He glanced up to Allen and smiled, too. "What about you? What do you like to do?"

Allen's smile softened into something wistful, almost sad. Steve flipped his pencil over and erased Allen's face, redrawing it as he listened. "I don't have a lot of time for it anymore, working for the Order, but my foster father taught me how to juggle." Glancing up at Steve, he added, painfully reminiscent, "He was a clown."

Steve gave him a smile, full of understanding and times-gone-by, and told him, "I learned to draw when I was little, because I was sick so often and couldn't play outside."

The soft-wistful expression faded away, folded up and put in a box, and Steve felt like cursing, glancing to his half-finished outline of the expression. When he looked back up, Allen was smiling normally again.

"You don't seem like the type to get sick easily, Captain," Allen commented, curious silver eyes on Steve as the man worked to catch the memory.

Steve chuckled. "I'm not, not anymore. The supersoldier serum fixed that." His own smile softened into a pensive expression much like Allen had worn moments before. "But when I was a kid, I wasn't strong enough to lift a kitten." Allen looked thoughtful at that, and Steve added, "What about you? Were you sick often?"

Allen laughed. "That wouldn't have gone over well! I could never really afford to." He shook his head, half grimacing. "I think my Innocence kept me healthy."

"What about before that?" Steve asked, pausing, pencil steady along one edge of Allen's right eye.

Allen tipped his head to give Steve a confused look. "Before that?" A moment later, comprehension dawned on his face and he smiled. "There was no before that. I've always had my Innocence."

Steve was confused. "But I thought-"

"Captain!"

The scientist with the thick glasses and bright smile hurried over to them. Steve looked up and offered Johnny a smile, which became slightly strained as he caught sight of the needle in his hand.

"Don't worry, Captain, it's not for you," Johnny assured the blond man. "Bruce wants to take a look at the Innocence in Allen's blood, and no one quite knows what happened to the last sample."

Allen grimaced slightly, but held out his arm regardless, a resigned expression decorating his face.

Meanwhile, Tony, Loki, and Reever were arguing.

"A simple energy source wouldn't be able to make choices," Tony pointed out. "Energy goes where energy goes, and all that."

"But it isn't a simple energy source," Loki pointed out, tone implying bad things about Tony's intelligence. "There is nothing simple about magic, Stark."

"There's no point arguing over whether or not Innocence can make decisions," Reever sighed, slightly exasperated, "because we have centuries of data that prove that it  _can."_

Tony rolled his eyes and sat back. "Fine." He'd figured that out for himself, anyway. He could feel the soft, pleased hum of his own Innocence nestled in his chest, and he  _knew_ that there was no way that it was some simple energy source. It was too warm.

"Do you have a record of some sort?" Loki asked Reever.

Reever grimaced, seemingly subconsciously, and nodded.

"Fetch them," Loki ordered.

Reever grunted in reply and called, "65!" The ghost-shaped blob emerged from the seething crowd of science and looked at him inquisitively. "Go get the exorcist files, this one and the last one."

"Aw," 65 whined. "But I hate the exorcist files!"

"We all hate the exorcist files," Reever replied unsympathetically. "Go get them."

65 moaned piteously to himself and bobbed off, clearly sulking. Tony raised a hand into the air.

"Hey, just for, you know, curiosity's sake, why do we hate the exorcist files?"

"Because they're damn depressing," Reever mumbled. "Let's not think about those now. Maybe the Innocence needs human base vitals? Innocence is known to alter an exorcist's physiology. It might be reacting badly to the supersoldier serum."

"Alters their physiology, hm?" Loki murmured thoughtfully, mind working.

"Alters how?" Tony asked intently. "Strength, speed, sexiness?" He smirked slightly as Loki spared a moment to give him a disdainful look.

To his credit, Reever took it in stride. "Most of it's strength, speed, and durability. Your typical exorcist is fast enough to dodge a slightly slow bullet, strong enough to crack a stone wall, and can take blows that would fell a horse." His expression was grim as he added, "Anything less and they'd be dead."

Tony's Innocence gave a proud hum. Tony tried to decide whether to laugh or be alarmed. Eventually, he compromised and let out a snicker. Reever gave him a weary look, and Loki looked long-suffering. Tony looked innocently back.

"Stark," Loki deadpanned. "Refrain from teasing the Section Leader, if you will."

Tony pouted.

"I got the files, Reever," came 65's sulky voice.

"Great, give them to Loki and Stark," Reever said, busying himself with some anonymous papers.

The files landed with a disgruntled plop in front of Tony, who looked at them with undisguised curiosity. On the cover of the thin folder on top, it read,  _Exorcist Files 2000-2049._ Out of curiosity, Tony lifted the thin folder to reveal the thicker one beneath, which read  _Exorcist Files 1950-1999._

"Those are the most recent exorcist files," Reever explained, carefully not looking at them. "Every exorcist that's arrived since 1950 should be in there, including all of those currently alive. We use those files for everything, from research and development to supply runs, so they're pretty detailed. Reverse order of arrival."

Tony 'hm'ed in acknowledgement and opened the newer file, while Loki stole the older one and started that.

The first page was of a kid Tony vaguely remembered seeing around headquarters, meticulously detailed and impersonal, with an impassive expression. Neatly written notes danced around his figure, noting body type, height, weight, and so on. Off to the side was a list of further statistics, everything from age to blood pressure to average calorie intake.

Slightly incredulous, Tony flipped to the next page, only to find more – detailed descriptions of his Innocence, fighting style, personality, personal habits, and even an outline of his known history.

Shaking his head, Tony looked up, a smirk on his lips and a quip on his tongue, only to be interrupted by a frowning Loki.

"What is  _this?"_ Loki asked, sounding more wary than anything.

Curious despite himself, Tony leaned over to look at the file Loki held. In his hands was another picture, this one different.

Instead of the impersonal drawings Tony had seen so far, this one was of a man with a wry smile, laughing as though despite himself, rendered in painstaking detail. According to the file, his name was Suman Dark, and he was dead.

Tony had a bad feeling about reading these files now.

* * *

Natasha and Clint were doing what they did best: Spying.

Not that they were being particularly discreet about it. In fact, the first thing they did was find Lenalee, the Chief's younger sister.

They found the green-haired girl talking with Jerry, helping him clean the dishes from that day's lunch. She was also, without faltering in her careful scrubbing, watching Jerry as he spoke, violet eyes intent and unwavering.

"I betcha if you went up to one of your boys with your eyes all wide, they'd do anything you liked," Jerry was saying, seemingly continuing a train of thought. "You're one of them, don't get me wrong, but don't let 'em forget you're a little lady, too, you hear?"

"I won't, Jerry," Lenalee agreed obediently. Then, without looking, she added, "Hi, Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Barton. Did you want something?"

Clint gave her an alarmed look (considering her back had been turned the entire time) but Natasha just nodded.

"Yes, in fact. Do you know where we can find your brother? He left the lab some time ago and no one is quite sure where he went."

"He's asleep right now," Lenalee informed them.

Lavi had told them that Lenalee had been in the kitchen since lunch. That was three hours ago.

Komui had left the lab two hours ago.

This place was bad for his sanity, Clint was sure of it.

"This is the guy in  _charge?"_ was what he said instead.

Lenalee's gaze shifted downward uncomfortably, and Jerry suddenly became inordinately interested in the plate in his hands. "Not… exactly," Lenalee hedged.

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "He's not?"

"Well… no," Lenalee admitted. "Brother… answers to the people in Central, and they answer to the Vatican." Softer, the circular motion of her arm pausing, "Theoretically, the chain of command ultimately leads to the Pope, but I don't think he really knows what goes on here." Looking up, she shot them a reassuring smile, resuming her activity. "But Central hasn't interfered since they sent Link here, so it's really just a passive surveillance operation now."

She smiled, and turned back to the sink, and her smile died. Clint looked at Jerry, who avoided his eyes, and then at Natasha, who was frowning. Clint agreed.

Something wasn't right here.

* * *

**23 Days to Invasion**


	13. If It's Not One Thing (It's Another)

Allen's scar, Tony decided, looked much more ominous without the characteristic smile to counter it.

"Is this file  _redacted?"_  Tony asked incredulously.

"Is it Allen's?" Reever asked without looking up.

"Mm-hm."

"Then no. We just don't know anything about him."

Allen chuckled a little as Tony sighed and went back to the files. They had only thought to take out the files toward the end of the previous day, so they were only really getting into them today. Allen redirected his attention to Johnny.

"See, Loki thinks that the requirements might be specific to each _individual_  Innocence," Johnny was saying enthusiastically.

"And so you want me to hold it?" Allen clarified, tilting his head at Johnny.

Johnny nodded happily.

Allen shrugged and gave him a smile. "Sure." He turned his head to look at Steve, silver eyes expectant. "Captain?"

Steve wavered uncertainly for a moment, but finally he picked up his shield and ran his fingers along the edge, a slight furrow in his brow. Finally, he sighed, and his grip tightened on the edge of the shield. "Innocence, activate."

A few seconds passed before lime green spun around the shield's rim, but finally, Steve tossed the shield lightly to Allen, who caught it.

Instantly, he winced, right hand instinctively releasing the sharp object. The left, though, tightened around it, keeping it from falling. Allen tipped his head at it thoughtfully. The fingers of his right hand traced the sharp edges cautiously, unprompted. Slowly, very slowly, a slight smile began to tug at the corner of his mouth.

"Allen?" Johnny questioned, leaning forward slightly with interest.

Gradually, Allen switched hands, right one carefully holding the shield still and left fearlessly pressing along the edge exploratively. Finally, he said, a hint of wonder in his voice, "Oh. She's a saber."

Steve's brow furrowed. "What?" It was a  _shield._  It was also an it.

Johnny's eyes, though, widened, and suddenly he was just about bouncing with excitement. "Of course! Innocence…!"

Johnny never finished his sentence, instead rushing off to excitedly share his findings. Steve gave him a bemused look, but then shrugged and decided that scientists would be scientists and it was healthier for all involved if they were just left to it, and took his shield back from Allen.

As Johnny drew close, Loki could be heard asking of Reever, "There is little here of Kanda Yuu as well. Do you make a habit of employing those of which you know little?"

"Kanda?" Reever echoed, glancing up. "Oh, that one is redacted."

"Section leader!" Johnny called out, tripping over a mess of papers on the ground. "Section leader Reever!  _The Captain's shield is a saber!"_

Reever lifted his head, frowning. "A saber? But…" His eyes widened in realization.

"What?" Tony demanded. "What am I missing?"

 _"The Innocence didn't choose its form!"_  Johnny said excitedly.

* * *

"Link," Natasha called to the figure ahead of her.

By mutual agreement, Clint and Natasha had decided to split up. Natasha would go to extract information from Link, the only known agent of Central, while Clint would look for old files in Komui's office. It worked.

Link turned around and rose a single blond eyebrow in question. "Yes? Ms. Romanoff?"

Huh. He knew her name. Well, she supposed it wasn't that much of a surprise.

Natasha caught up to him, put on a pretty smile, and said, "Link, I'm afraid I haven't been in this area before. Do you think you could show me to the cafeteria?"

Link stared at her guardedly for a moment, but, eventually, he nodded stiffly. "This way," he said shortly, turning to lead the way. Clearly he didn't believe her for a moment, but that was alright, as long as he talked.

Natasha just followed him for a few minutes before slipping level with him. For a few minutes more, they walked like that, Natasha fluid and graceful as Link walked stiffly and silently beside her. Finally, Natasha spoke.

"I heard that you aren't from around here."

"No one's from around here," Link replied without skipping a beat. Natasha's gaze flicked upward for just a moment; Link's gaze was focused on the ground, surprisingly defensive.

"I heard that you used to work for someone else," Natasha pressed, trying to see how much he would give up willingly.

"Most of us did," Link answered resolutely. Not much, then.

"I heard you worked for Central."

Link glanced at her, brow furrowed. "I did. I was… transferred. Much like you were from SHIELD."

Natasha caught the slip-up and sprang. "You still work for Central, then?"

Link shrugged, stiffer than ever. "I report to them on occasion."

Natasha tucked the evasion away for later and pressed on. "How long have you been at the Black Order, then?"

Link considered. "Approximately eight months."

"What changed?" Natasha pushed. "I suppose the former inside agent died."

Pause. "No," Link said. Carefully.

Natasha waited.

"An… agent, was put under suspicion. I was ordered here to follow them and to carefully notate their behavior, to see if they would become a threat to the Order or its cause." Link looked uncomfortable. Natasha thought she saw regret in his eyes.

"Why?"

"They were discovered to be a host to one of the Noah-" Link stopped short, clearly surprised at himself. Natasha smiled.

"Thank you, Link. I know where to go from here." There was only one agent of the Black Order who was host to a Noah. Walking away, she paused, curiosity popping up suddenly. "You never told me… do you still work for Central?"

One last pause. "No. I don't."

It sounded final.

* * *

"Yuu!" Steve called out, jogging to catch up to the long-haired exorcist ahead of him.

A snarl appeared on Yuu's face and his sword reappeared in his hand even as he whirled around. "Don't  _call_  me- oh. It's you." He scowled at Steve, releasing his katana back to… wherever it went. He looked vaguely unsettled by Steve's presence; Steve wondered why. "What do  _you_  want?"

Steve caught up and stopped beside Yuu apologetically. "Sorry. I just wanted to know if your grandfather was still alive."

Yuu's brow furrowed, clearly completely thrown by the question, and navy eyes dissolved into confusion. "My  _grandfather?"_  he asked, like the words were alien on his tongue.

Steve nodded earnestly. "Yeah. Or maybe a great-grandfather. His name would've been Kanda Yuu."

Yuu's eyes flashed with recognition. "Kanda Yuu. You're certain?"

Steve nodded again.

Yuu scrutinized him for a long moment, half-glaring. Finally, he huffed and turned on his heel, so he was facing away from Steve, arms crossed. He stood there, scowling to himself and muttering, apparently debating something even Steve's supersoldier hearing couldn't catch more than simple snatches of. "Knew him… can't possibly… doesn't know about the Order…" Finally, "Che." Pause. He didn't look up, but he asked, "My… grandfather. Did he trust you?"

"Yes," Steve said quietly, sensing that this was important. "He did."

One moment. Two.

"Che. Follow me."

Steve followed Yuu without question, down one hall after another until he was long since lost, and then into an empty, abandoned room in a long hall of the same.

Yuu closed the door behind them, and then, and only then, turned back to Steve, who looked at him expectantly.

"Kanda Yuu... was not my grandfather."

Steve waited. Yuu's eyes were dark and angry, his arms crossed as he leaned back against the door, mouth set in a grim line.

"Tell me. Have you ever heard of the Second Exorcist Program?"

* * *

In Komui's office, Clint's eyes narrowed. "Gotcha."

_For Chief Komui's eyes only_

_Third Exorcist Program_

* * *

**22 Days to Invasion**


	14. See a Set of Souls

Loki sat cross-legged in front of them, sitting in a circle in the middle of an empty room. Half of Steve's mind was still preoccupied by what Kanda – because knowing what he knew, Steve couldn't call him Yuu – had told him the day before. By the same token, Natasha brooded over what Clint, expression grim, had told her he needed to talk to her about after this was done.

"We believe that the easiest way to go about this would be to communicate  _directly_  with the Innocence," he explained, fingers interlaced and distaste clear on his face. "If each Innocence  _truly_  is different, we will need to talk in order to convince them to cooperate."

"What about them?" Natasha asked, jerking her head at Lenalee, Miranda, and Allen, who all had very operational Innocences. Allen and Lenalee looked comfortable and confident, but Miranda sort of looked like she wished she were anywhere but there.

Loki smirked a little. "Well, exorcists have to talk too, of course. You  _have_  heard the stories of exorcists dealing with their Innocence, have you not?"

Yes. Yes, she had. The finders made it sound like it was making a deal with the devil.

The sooner they could get out of here, the better.

Loki's expression grew serious again. "According to Allen," he nodded to Allen, who smiled sheepishly, "the Innocence resides in the mindscape, a location within one's  _own_  mind."

"So how are we going to talk to it?" Bruce asked the obvious question.

Loki sent him an irritated look. "It is _well_  within my abilities, Doctor, to send you into the mindscape. What's more, I may send you all into the  _same_  mindscape, which is what I will do."

That made sense, Steve supposed. He still shuddered a little.

Satisfied, Loki closed his eyes and muttered quietly under his breath. A few uneasy shifts rippled through the group as energy began to gather in the air, making it heavy and reverberant.

Steve's eyes slid closed and he fell.

* * *

The world faded in slowly around Steve, and the first thing he became aware of was the figure in front of him.

It was a woman, with dark, almost black hair, iridescent green eyes, dressed in a dark blue suit, with an irritated look on her face.

"Hello, Captain," she greeted icily, head tilted just so, in a way that projected disapproval and barely-restrained anger.

"Hello, Innocence," Steve returned, not letting his uncertainty leak into his voice as he gave the weapon something of a half-salute.

The Innocence nodded, once. "Look around."

The order was unmistakable, and Steve, almost on instinct, did as he was told, taking in their surroundings.

Some ways forward and a little to the right, Natasha and a woman with sleek, light blonde hair were studying each other. As opposed to Natasha's tension, the woman looked almost light, head tipped, hand on her hip, but with a definite discerning look to her gaze, a thoughtful look colored with fire, like Natasha was a challenge waiting to be met.

Closer than Natasha and to his left was Bruce, head ducked down slightly as a man with red hair scowled, arms crossed, clearly displeased, almost petulant, but far more unforgiving than that.

All of them had green eyes.

Then there were the others, and it was them that were unnerving. Per usual.

Lenalee stood face to face with a girl who looked almost just like her, save for hair that was a little longer and eyes that were bright green. Steve thought she looked slightly older, too, and her hair was a few shades darker. One hand held tight to Lenalee's, a slight smile on her face, other hand ghosting over Lenalee's shoulder, head tipped toward the green-haired counterpart, trusting and certain.

The resemblance between Miranda and the woman standing behind her, arms around her neck and head resting on one of her shoulders, was far less striking. Her hair was slightly shorter and lighter, her clothing only vaguely reminiscent of the Time Woman's, and the shape of her face such that they could be sisters, but not twins. She was older, too – not yet old enough for lines on her face, but perhaps somewhere in her early thirties, to Miranda's mid-twenties. An almost devious smirk danced over her face.

But Allen – Allen was the truly strange one. He and his Innocence looked precisely alike, in almost every detail, save for the green eyes of Allen's Innocence.

"Allen?" Steve called out in question.

Allen's Innocence looked up and smiled at him. "Don't worry, Captain. We'll work this out."

Steve paused, and he glanced at Allen, and Allen smirked at him, stance confident, silver eyes bright and unwavering and discomfitingly knowing as he rested his head against his Innocence's, one arm around his shoulders, opposite hand on his hip.

But it wasn't Allen.

It was his Innocence.

"I'm glad that that Noah isn't here," the white-haired, silver-eyed Innocence said, in a clipped, distasteful voice. "He makes everything so much more  _difficult."_

"The Hulk isn't here, either," Bruce noted, with some relief. A disgusted look tugged at his Innocence's face, and Bruce ducked his head.

Steve watched the environment for a few seconds more, startled and a little bit awed, and then, finally, looked back to the woman in front of him, who was still scowling at him.

"You're  _dissatisfied,"_  Steve's Innocence said, implications of  _disgrace_  and  _ungrateful_  and _I-can't-believe-you_  hanging from the word, making it heavy and hard to hear.

Steve forced himself not to gulp. "Ma'am, please. I'm just trying to do my best."

"Do you even know why you're here?"

The question, disgusted and annoyed, made Steve stop short.

Well, he was here because Fury had ordered the team here. Right?

Steve's Innocence snorted. "Crown!" she complained to Allen's Innocence. "I'm with a godforsaken  _idiot!"_  Steve did not miss the implication that she had heard his thoughts.

Crown smirked a little. "Not my problem, Innocence," he called back lazily.

Steve's Innocence scowled.

Bruce looked between Steve's Innocence and Allen's. "Why did you call Allen's Innocence Crown, but yourself Innocence?" he asked with confusion, avoiding his Innocence's gaze.

It was Lenalee's Innocence who answered, swaggering forward with Lenalee's smile and Lenalee's grace, trailing Lenalee's fingers down Lenalee's arm, making the girl shiver and give her a wry smile. "Because, dear Doctor, a bonded Innocence adopts the name of the weapon it manifests for its exorcist. An unbonded Innocence is simply an Innocence."

Miranda's Innocence rolled her eyes and laughed. "Aren't we getting a little off-track here?" she murmured, nudging Miranda playfully, making her jump and laugh nervously.

"Right," Miranda agreed quietly, an uncomfortable smile on her face. She hadn't interacted much with any of the Avengers before now. She transferred her gaze to them and offered tentatively, "It's all right. They want to fight as much as you do."

A few moments of silence passed, an impasse between the Avengers and their Innocences.

"You work… oddly," Natasha said carefully, the first to begin. "I want to know why."

Natasha's Innocence waved her hand dismissively; Natasha had it easy. The Innocence was grinning, a light of excitement in her eye, one step from laughing. "Don't mind it," she assured the woman. "I've never been a gun before." She grinned. "I think I like it."

"You should do it again sometime," Crown threw out carelessly. "It suits Judgement fine." Allen shuddered.

Innocence grinned back. "Yeah, maybe." Looking back to Natasha, she softened slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "There's no problem?"

"There's no problem," the Innocence promised. Then, anticipating the next question, "You're just… not what I'm looking for. Arc Reactor lucked out with his Tony, but it doesn't happen very often."

 _'Arc Reactor?'_  Steve mouthed to himself. It wasn't that he hadn't processed that Innocences adopted the names of their weapons, but hearing it applied to Tony's Innocence was… odd.

Lenalee gave Natasha a gentle smile. "See? That wasn't so hard." There was a strange, almost teary glint in her eyes, but she smiled.

Natasha shrugged noncommittally, but she didn't flinch when her Innocence clapped her on the shoulder and grinned and didn't brush it off when it was left there.

Awkward silence filled the endless mindscape. Finally, Steve's Innocence, eyes flashing and angry and fierce, challenged Steve, "Well,  _Captain?"_

From her mouth, the title sounded like a slur. Steve swallowed.

Allen murmured something to Crown Clown, who rolled his eyes, smirked, and let go of the white-haired boy, who slipped toward Steve.

"She just wants to know how you work," the boy murmured to him, voice earnest. "Why are you doing this? What makes your cause worth it?" He shrugged. "We all want to fight, but we're strongest when we know  _why._  They want that strength."

"I'm here to help the Order," Steve said, more to Allen than to the Innocence, a little defensive.

His Innocence cocked an eyebrow at him.  _"Are_  you?" she asked, skepticism dripping from her words. "Are you  _really?"_

_The Yuu you know doesn't exist anymore. The Order took everything he had to give and then moved his brain to a new body – my body._

_The Order's kept me here my whole life. I've only ever been out on missions… except for once._

_The Order-_

_The Order-_

_The Order-_

No. No, he wasn't. Steve  _knew_  that he couldn't work for an organization that would do something like that. Not even by proxy.

Crown Clown, suddenly beside Steve, opposite Allen, smirked at him. "Now you've got it."

Allen, on the other side, smiled. "I want to help people," he said softly. "Everyone."

"I'll keep them safe," added Crown Clown, from his other side. "That's why Allen and I, we're a pair. It works for us. It doesn't for everyone."

"I don't like bullies," Steve said, distantly, like someone else was speaking for him. He was looking at his Innocence, blue eyes certain. "I never have."

She smiled – fierce, but less irritated than before. "And there's the problem, Captain. Because me? I'm going to  _hurt_  them. And you? You fight with a damned _shield."_  In a hiss, "You'll never be my partner."

Steve raised his hands placatingly. "I'm not asking for a bond. I just want you to trust me." A skeptical look. "I've fought with a shield for years; just trust that I know how to use it."

She eyed him for a moment, but he could see her remembering her fight with him before. "One chance, Captain," she said finally. "One chance."

Steve smiled. "That's all I'm asking."

"Problem solved," Miranda's Innocence said lightly, pleased and smiling. She looked to Bruce and his Innocence, who'd spent the entire time silent, Bruce avoiding his Innocence's accusing gaze. "Come on, you two, get it together."

"You can work something out," Lenalee's added, placating and light like poison gas.

"Says you, Dark," Bruce's Innocence snapped, furious. "I'm in a  _mindless rage monster._  There is  _no_  series of events that will make that okay!"

Miranda's Innocence's green eyes sharpened. "At least you  _can_  fight!" she snapped out, sharper than she apparently intended. Miranda flinched.

"I'm sorry!" she pleaded with the Innocence. "I could try, I promise! I could try!"

Miranda's Innocence – and what was her name? – deflated almost instantly, looking almost regretful. "It's fine, Miranda. You do wonderfully." Green eyes slid to nothing, pensive. "You just want to help. And if I can help you help them…" She let it trail off.

"You and Time Record help a lot," Allen insisted to Miranda, green eyes earnest.

"I don't know what we'd do without you two," Lenalee added softly, smiling gratefully.

Miranda subsided, sending them a small smile and a silent  _thank you._

Natasha turned her head and raised a silent eyebrow at her Innocence. The Innocence smirked at her, but her eyes didn't match her mouth.

 _You've got red in your ledger,_  she mouthed. Natasha stiffened.  _You'd like to wipe it out. I've got a different agenda._  Her eyes flashed, and she said, quiet, "They need to go down, and I don't care what gets in the way. But time's running out, and I'm not going to refuse to pitch in just because I'm stubborn."

Natasha nodded, once. She really wasn't what the Innocence was looking for, she supposed.

"That's great and all," Bruce's Innocence snapped, still tense and angry. "But it doesn't help me. I'm not Bloody Krory, I refuse to be a mindless beast!"

"He's not," Bruce said suddenly, quiet. His Innocence whipped around to glare at him. "Mindless. At least, not completely."

Bruce's Innocence snorted. "Could've fooled me," he said scornfully.

"He's a little simple," Bruce said hastily. "But think of him… like an abused toddler. He's not that well developed, and he's only ever been hurt. So he lashes out."

Innocence crossed his arms. "And?"

Bruce paused, struggling for words. Dark broke in with a sigh.

"Innocence, please. Just give him a chance, alright? At least stop  _attacking_  him. You're probably not helping yourself, if what Bruce says is true. If you have a problem, it sounds like you should take it up with the Hulk."

Bruce's Innocence scowled. Scowled. Finally…

"Fine," he said. Lowly and resentfully, but the word still came. Bruce smiled.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Innocence scowled at him.

"What…" Bruce hesitated, a moment, before he asked the question. "Why do you do this?"

Innocence softened. Slightly. "The world is better off without the Noah. I'd like to make that happen."

"You want to make the world a better place," Bruce murmured.

"…Yeah."

The world faded, and Bruce smiled bitterly.

"Sorry."

* * *

"So."

Clint's voice was the first thing they heard, entirely too cheerful, the room entirely too bright.

"How was it?"


	15. Seeing in the Shadows

The Avengers clustered into the Captain's room, which doubled as a meeting room, when the need arose. Each of them sat at the round table in the middle, mostly at the request of Clint and Natasha.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, worried. He could sense the tension the pair of assassins were giving off, and it was making him uneasy, too.

"The Black Order isn't what we thought it was," Clint began darkly, unusually grim. "Komui isn't the one in charge; there's some sort of higher administration, like the Council. They came up with this." He tossed a file onto the table. Steve picked it up, and his eyes widened.

"The Third Exorcist Project?" he read aloud. That sounded like…

_Sounds like the Second Exorcist project._

Loki frowned, gaze sharpening into something dangerous and intent. "What is that?"

"It's complicated," Natasha said quietly, at least as grim as Clint. "But essentially, they take the 'Alma cells' from a successful subject of something called the Second Exorcist project, fused with an 'akuma nucleus' and combine a human with an akuma, creating a creature that can absorb an akuma's power into themselves." She looked up from the file to meet their horrified eyes, Bruce's tinting green, Loki's visibly disturbed and disgusted, and added, "We haven't found out what the Second Exorcist project is, but it can't be good."

"I know what it is," Steve said quietly. Faces turned to him in surprise. "Kanda told me."

"What is it, Cap?" Tony asked, serious for once. He knew a thing or two about corrupt organizations – take SHIELD, for instance, which he was sure had something wrong – but this was bad, even for them.

Steve took a breath. Let it out. "Basically… They take the brains of a dead exorcist and implant them into a new body, then force them to bond with Innocence." That was cutting it down a lot, but he wasn't sure he had it in him to explain everything.

Long silence. Bruce's green eyes had shut and green veins crept threateningly over his face even as he breathed, turning the information over and over in his mind. Loki appeared to be turning a little green himself.

It was hard to imagine that even a place like this could be so dark beneath, but Tony guessed that nothing was ever quite what it seemed. Still, it would have been nice to believe that there was still some pure good in the world. But no. Apparently Cap was on his own there.

"We need to tell someone of this," Thor said suddenly, face anxious. "Surely the exorcists-"

"It's classified," Clint agreed. "I doubt they know, or else they wouldn't be here."

"No."

Steve's voice was sudden, and not one of them expected it, at least not from him.

"Cap?" Tony questioned, a little warily.

"They might know," Steve explained. Quietly. "You've seen them. They're desperate, and determined. And with what's at stake… I think they'll do damn near anything to win." He'd picked up that much. Steve was many things, and while after his time was one of them, slow was not.

"But they might not," Clint argued. "We can't let this stay secret, Cap." He was tense; SHIELD had placed them here on faith, and for the same reason Steve had said the exorcists would stay - the stakes were too high.

It was worse, because Clint couldn't confidently say that SHIELD didn't have the same sorts of secrets.

"Let us go inform our shield brothers," Thor urged, looking edgy. He was too honor-bound for his own good, Loki thought fondly.

Gradually, one by one, each of the Avengers nodded, and then, at almost the same moment, stood and turned to head out the door and down the hall, steps purposeful and intent.

They found Lavi, Lenalee, and Allen in one of the training rooms, taking a short break to sit against a wall and talk, quiet and amiable in a way that Steve couldn't recall having seen them so far, except maybe on the train.

That was probably about to change, he thought grimly.

"Allen, Lenalee, Lavi," he said quietly, at the front, in charge as usual. "Can we talk with you a moment?"

Allen looked up and smiled. "Sure, Captain." Catching his expression, the smile faded slightly. "Is… something wrong?"

Natasha stepped forward, eyes sharp. "Why don't you tell us?" she suggested, voice light and laden with implications.

Allen's eyes dimmed slightly, and he smiled. Before he could speak, Lavi cut in.

"Cut the crap, spider lady. What've you heard around?"

Tony, almost always the first to suspect big organizations, threw in his own contribution, unusually serious. "The Second and Third Exorcist projects." Then, offhanded, almost as if to offset the previous grim tone, "You people really need better names for these things. I mean, really. Second and Third Exorcists? Come on."

Lenalee flinched at the mention of the projects, and her head dropped. "What about them?"

"Did you know?" That was Clint, blunt and straight to the point, on target as one of his arrows.

"Yeah," Lavi affirmed, green eye glaring at them rebelliously, arms crossed. He was wincing just at the memory, tense. "What of it? Both projects failed. You can't create an exorcist."

Loki cocked an eyebrow slightly.

"Komui shut them down as soon as he could," Lenalee put in, frowning at the ground. "Them, and every other attempt." She bit her lip. "It puts a lot of pressure on the exorcists, but it's worth it. It's worth it to keep those things from happening."

Yeah, Natasha would bet it was.

Tony was studying them, eyes sharp from an unusual placement at the back of the group. Lavi didn't miss it, and he gave a small nod. Yes, this was the reason the exorcists could not run.

The Avengers split up from their almost defensive grouping, spreading into something more casual, but still talking. Keeping on the same topic.

"Did you see a lot of them?" Tony pushed.

Lenalee glanced at him. "Yes," she admitted. "They were awful. Like I said, it's not worth it. We'll fight as hard as we need to."

Loki 'hm'ed, frowning. Thor looked dismayed.

"Pressure?" Loki asked, referring back.

Lavi shrugged. "There are twenty of us," he said simply. "That's because accommodators are pretty rare, and then, after that?" He gave up a small scowl. "Accommodators don't always make it to Headquarters. After that, average lifespan is about six months. Good exorcists last a few years, and generals last a decade or two. The result of all this is that numbers stay pretty steady at hopelessly inadequate." He waved one hand vaguely. "We're what's left."

"That's why we're here," Steve said firmly, giving all three of them an almost stern look.

Allen was the first to smile back, soft, and then Lenalee, tentative, and finally Lavi, without any real feeling.

"I suppose so," Allen said quietly. He pushed off the wall and offered another smile. "Say, we've got some time. Want to spar?"


	16. Core Events

That night, the Avengers opted to put aside the file on the Third Exorcist Project until they could locate the one for the Second Exorcist Project. Until they managed that, there was only so much of it that they could understand.

They didn't get a chance to ask the next morning, though – not ten minutes after they sat down to eat with the exorcists, a nervous finder edged his way over.

"Mr. Walker, sir?" Allen looked up expectantly and gave the finder an absent smile. "There's… eh." He fidgeted. "A message for you. From the Council."

Almost as one, the exorcists froze. Allen's smile faltered.

He visibly propped it back up and finished off his last plate, strain just visible in his silver irises, and then stood. Lavi's abruptly guarded gaze followed him, as did Lenalee's, Miranda's, and Krory's worried ones.

"Alright, then." He cast a painful-bright smile at his friends, tension in his brow. "I'll go see what the Council wants; I'll meet you guys later, okay?"

Lenalee gave him a brave smile, and Lavi a thumbs-up and a wink. His smile strengthened slightly in response, but then he spun around and left, brushing out the door.

"What was that?" Loki asked, frowning slightly, as soon as he had vanished.

In unison, Lavi and Lenalee's smiles dropped, and Miranda looked down.

"Allen… doesn't have a good history with the Council," Lavi explained heavily. "Neither does Lenalee, come to that." Dislike glinted in his one emerald eye.

Steve caught Lenalee's wince and looked concerned. "What happened?"

Lenalee's hand went to her ankle and she looked down, hair obscuring her eyes from sight. Then she looked back up, determination in the line of her brow and the light of her eyes. "I don't like to talk about it. What's done is done."

Steve let it go.

"And little beansprout?" Tony asked, leaning forward, gaze sharp.

Pause. Hesitant. But it was Natasha who broke it.

"Allen was put under investigation by Central when it was first discovered that he was a Noah." Her sharp gaze swept over the exorcists, each of whom grimaced slightly at the memory. "Wasn't he?"

"…Yeah," Miranda answered softly. Hesitantly, she glanced up, brown eyes soft. "But… it was more than that. See, Allen didn't always get along with the Fourteenth. He still doesn't, really."

Natasha's eyebrows raised, and she wondered what happened if you didn't get along with someone you were sharing a headspace with. "Oh?"

"The Fourteenth used to attempt hostile takeovers of Allen's brain," Lavi elaborated.

Clint hissed in sympathy, and Loki flinched, as if from a memory, head bowing slightly. Now that seemed all too familiar.

To both of them, really.

"Once, he nearly succeeded," Lavi continued, eye jade. "For a few minutes, Allen went under, and that was enough. Central had him locked up." He scowled uncharitably. Thor looked incensed.

"They dare lock up one of their own?!"

"It happens, Point Break," Tony reminded him bitterly. "Bruce can attest to that, can't you, big guy?"

Bruce ducked his head slightly. "Uh…" At Tony's expectant look, he said, quieter, "…Yeah."

Lenalee looked concerned. "What happened?"

"The Army happened," Clint explained, scowling slightly. "Because of, you know, the Hulk. Tried to kill him a few times, too."

"It is most dishonorable," Thor rumbled, frowning discontentedly. "Though the Man of Iron fixed the matter as soon as he was able."

Lenalee looked horrified, and Lavi's expression was as forbidding as they'd ever seen it, while Miranda's eyes shone with deep empathy and Krory cringed, looking almost sympathetic.

Desperate to change the subject, Bruce asked, "So what happened? Why did they let him out?"

Lavi's eye lingered on him, but Miranda answered, bravely, "Things started happening too fast. They got bad… really bad." She took a breath, eyes falling to the ground, shoulders hunching slightly, like she felt that she was taking up too much space. "Allen escaped… ran away. He didn't come back for months."

"And when he did?" Loki prompted.

"He came back with a bang, see," Lavi explained, smirking slightly, not a trace of humor behind it. "While he was gone, things got pretty awful. Thing was, no one but Kanda had ever managed to take down a Noah, and they were only getting worse. When Allen returned, he killed a parasite one of the Noah, Fiidora, had put in an exorcist as a spy, and then took down Fiidora, too."

"And after that, Central couldn't turn him away," Loki murmured, knowing full well how these things worked.

"That's right."

Silence hovered over the group for a few minutes. There were holes in the story; that much was obvious. But they could push for details another time.

They'd need to.

When the door opened, long after everyone else had gone, they looked up sharply, only to find Allen wandering in, grey eyes wide and dazed, gait slow and stunned.

He was wearing a uniform with the same pattern as Nyne and Kanda had, Natasha realized.

"Why does his uniform suddenly have shiny bits?" Tony muttered.

Lavi broke the silence with a genuine grin and a thumbs up. "Congrats, beansprout, you're moving up in the world!"

Allen gave him a shaky smile, seemingly still processing this new turn of events.

"Yeah, well done, Allen," Lenalee added in, with Miranda nodding in fervent agreement.

"It's about time!" Krory put in enthusiastically, smiling at him.

Thor, though, frowned. "I do not understand," he said plaintively.

"Allen got promoted to General," Lenalee explained, half relieved and half pleased. "It's about time, too."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "About time?" he repeated.

"Most people make General as soon as they hit critical point," Lavi explained. "But Allen's been critical for  _months_ now."

"Critical?" Clint asked wearily, resigned to this new phase of adaptation. He'd thought they were done with this.

"Over 100% synchro," Miranda pitched in helpfully, smiling.

Steve's mind flashed to green eyes set in a familiar face.

"Well, congratulations," Steve smiled. The others voiced their agreement in a murmured chorus, and Allen smiled.

None of them mentioned the clear power play.


	17. Music in the Air

It was later that day that a finder came and got each of them, and they met in Komui's office. He was asleep, but a mutter in his ear had him up and shrieking in moments.

They waited, some patiently and some not, as Komui gathered his composure, and finally, he straightened up seriously, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Intent eyes travelled over each of them – a full thirteen exorcists.

"As you can see," he began, gesturing around. "We have quite the team assembled." He chuckled. No one else did and he cleared his throat. "I'm afraid the Avengers still aren't quite cleared for solo missions, so I've taken a few of the smaller team missions that have built up over time and assembled them."

"And by him, he means Reever," Lavi muttered with a grin. Tony snickered. Clint smirked.

"The teams are as follows," Komui continued with admirable dignity, considering the state of his hat, which was beginning to fall over. He cleared his throat again and held up the papers in front of his face. His hat fell off. "Allen, the Captain, Thor, and Miranda are investigating rumors of Noah presence in Ho Chi Minh. Lavi, Lenalee, Krory, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are doing the same in Haiti. Finally, Loki, Doctor Banner, Tony, and Marie are collecting an accomodator who's been located in Russia."

Komui lowered the papers and bent down to retrieve his hat, settling it firmly back on his head. "Due to the extreme distance of the locations, usage of the Ark has been cleared, and you are to leave at the earliest opportunity."

"The Ark?" Steve questioned curiously.

"Noah's Ark," Lavi explained, smile gone. "Or more accurately, the Fourteenth's. You'll see."

That didn't clear anything up.

Marie introduced himself quietly to his team as they moved up to the room designated for Ark usage, and they stopped as Allen looked up and closed his eyes.

Grey flashed across his skin, faster than lightning – Steve wouldn't have picked it up if it weren't for his super-soldier sight. Then a rumble signaled the slow arrival of a door, and they stepped in.

White. The city was all white, white roads, white buildings as far as the eye could see, the monotony broken only by plants and the blue, blue sky.

"What the fuck is this place?" demanded Clint, turning in a slow circle, squinting at the sky.

"It is filled with magic," Loki murmured, looking interested as he glanced back and forth. "Quite appropriate, I suppose, for a creation that has lasted for thousands of years."

"I thought Noah's Ark was…" Steve trailed off, frowning. Lavi shrugged.

"The legend of Noah's Ark changed a little, over the centuries." He smiled bitterly. "If it helps, though, it might not be too far off. The Fourteenth probably inherited it from Noah."

Allen tilted his head slightly, brow furrowing, and then said quietly, "He did."

That was evidently all he had to say about that.

"It reminds me of your Midgardian 'ghost towns'," Thor offered, disliking the silence. "Where are its inhabitants? Are they elsewhere?"

Lavi shrugged. "Who knows? It's been a long time. They're probably all dead by now."

"Oh, I think we're almost there," Miranda said brightly, recognizing one of the doors they were approaching. Krory nodded in agreement, and Allen cast a smile back at them and nodded.

"So, uh." Bruce shifted, gaze sliding across the molded white. "What exactly are we doing here?"

Marie's eyes were focused straight ahead, even when they turned; Bruce recalled that Allen had mentioned that the man was blind. That had to nerve-wracking, with a job like this. "The Ark has the ability to transport across large areas," he said finally. "Allen is the only one who can control it."

"Because of the Fourteenth, right?" Tony said quickly, eyes sharp. Marie didn't answer.

They finally stopped in front of a large door, and Allen smiled at them awkwardly and pushed it open.

Inside was a large room; it was mostly empty, with only a mirror on the wall and a grand piano, also white. Allen stepped toward the piano, and more than one head jerked up; Allen's reflection was not Allen at all. It wasn't even a reflection, really, and Tony wondered if it was a mirror after all; while it reflected the room, none of its inhabitants were in the image.

Then he focused on Allen's not-reflection, because it was moving, smirking at them and giving them a mocking wave. Lavi scowled at it and Miranda shied away.

"What is that?" Loki asked sharply, eyes trained on the figure. He didn't like not knowing.

The man in the mirror was a little older than Allen, with grey skin, gold eyes, and dark blue hair. He did look startlingly like the boy, though Allen had never let such a malicious smirk cross his features.

"That's the Fourteenth," Lenalee told them quietly, fixing fearsome glare on the man. It was a wonder that the Fourteenth didn't flee in fear. "It's  _his room,_ after all." She broke her gaze and looked at them. "And before you have a chance to ask, the Fourteenth is both the Noah of Destruction and the Musician." She looked back to Allen. "He controls the Ark with his song."

"So Allen's going to sing for us?" Tony muttered, trying not to laugh, mostly because Bruce had elbowed him.

Allen looked at the mirror for a long moment, and then answered Tony's question by stopping before the piano. He sighed, set his fingers to the keys, and started to play.

For the song of the Noah of Destruction, it was a surprisingly peaceful melody; the notes drifted through the air on fairy wings, sweet and slightly sad.

Within a few seconds of the first note, a large, towering door, much like the one they'd entered through, formed in midair, and Allen nodded to Lavi with a half-smile. Lavi grinned back, waved, and called out,

"C'mon, time for us to go!"

Lenalee strode forward and Krory hastened to follow, and Natasha gave Clint a pointed look as he hesitated. Clint pouted at her and she rolled her eyes, and they both followed the exorcists out the door.

A press of a key dissolved the door and Allen started to hum along to the song, seemingly without noticing.

"He's moved it elsewhere," Marie explained lowly to the remaining Avengers. "Allen very rarely closes a door that he's opened – that is why there were so many in the town."

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "I can see where that would be useful. But what about passersby, how does he keep them out?"

Marie shrugged.

Another door formed and Allen looked at Loki, who nodded at him in reply and addressed Marie.

"The portal has opened. Let us go."

Marie nodded and Loki led the way into the portal, while Bruce glanced at Tony, who sighed and reluctantly entered the portal, casting one last curious glance over his shoulder. Allen closed the door, which dissolved, presumably moved elsewhere in the Ark and leaving only Steve, Thor, and Miranda in the room with him.

A few more notes opened the last door and drew the song to a close. The Fourteenth, still in the mirror, smirked and tipped an imaginary hat to Allen, who glanced up at him uncertainly and lifted his hands from the piano, shifting back uncomfortably.

"Who was the Fourteenth, anyway?" Steve questioned, eyes on the Fourteenth in stark contrast to Allen, who was avoiding looking in the mirror. "Loki mentioned that they reincarnated."

Allen looked up at him and smiled uncomfortably. "Before he was me, he was a man called Neah Walker."

Thor started. "Neah Walker?" he questioned. "But was your family name not-"

"Yes," Allen confirmed, with a pained smile. "Neah is my uncle – my foster father's brother."

Miranda tapped the mirror tentatively and flinched when Neah looked at her. Looking back at them, she put in hesitantly, "We think that that's why Allen's mind was spared." Neah rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a visible huff and a glower. Steve glanced up at him and then back down.

"Spared?" Thor questioned. Then his brow furrowed, slightly aggrieved. "Ah, I see."

"What do you see?" Steve asked, slightly wearily.

None of them answered, and Allen cast them a smile. "Shall we go?"

Thor smiled, distracted, and, hand on his hammer, nodded. "Yes, let us go complete our newest quest!"

Miranda laughed softly, and Steve, distracted, had to chuckle. Without a second thought, they went through the door into the cool night of Ho Chi Minh.


	18. Late at Night

It was dark out, and people were few. Well, few for a city. A few women in white stood outside abandoned businesses, a few more homeless slept on benches, and more better-off people walked quick and brisk. The smell of pollution sat in the air and Steve grimaced slightly.

With their distinctly foreign appearances and Allen's outright strange one, they were already attracting attention, but Allen supposed that there was nothing to be done about it. It was late, anyway, at least here, and it didn't really matter yet, nor would it in the morning, since they would hardly be the only foreigners around.

"Thor, will you be alright translating for us?" Steve questioned concernedly, brow furrowed.

Thor boomed a laugh that drew more attention than Allen was comfortable with and replied, "Of course, my friend. I would be most happy to use the Allspeak in our quest."

"The Allspeak?" Allen questioned curiously.

"It is an ability which allows me to understand all tongues, and make myself understood," Thor explained with a smie, hefting his hammer. Miranda squeaked in objection, and he quickly remembered himself and put it back down, where it was somewhat less visible.

"That would be useful," Allen said wistfully. He looked back to the front and, almost sheepishly, added, "But it's not strictly necessary here. It's been a few years, but I remember Vietnamese fairly well."

"Allen speaks a lot of languages," Miranda added with a smile. "He picked up a lot travelling with General Cross."

Allen scowled slightly. "Yeah," he agreed grudgingly.

"We can't do much at night," Steve said thoughtfully, mind switching gears habitually. "I know none of us are tired, but maybe we could find a place to stay first, in case this takes a while?"

Miranda worried her lip and offered tentatively, "Maybe a place that understands about akuma?"

Steve and Allen both gave her a smile and Thor agreed, "Indeed we must."

She smiled and Allen spoke up suddenly, "I know a place."

Steve started, pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

Allen nodded and gave a smile. "Yeah, one of Master's old contacts. She's a long-time supporter of the Order, so she'll be fine with us staying a while."

Something in his winning smile made Steve strangely suspicious, and he gave Allen a sidelong look. "And what's the catch?"

Allen's smile gained a sheepish edge and he looked away. "What catch?"

Miranda gave Allen an expectant look, head tilted. "Allen?" she questioned, concerned.

"…She owns a brothel," Allen admitted, sheepish.

Steve took a moment to process that, and then turned bright red. Thor, by contrast, roared with laughter, and Miranda stifled a giggle by clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, dear," she whispered through her fingers, shoulders shaking silently. "I think I owe Kanda an apology."

Allen gave her a light smile. "Probably."

Then his stomach rumbled suddenly and he blushed. Miranda lost her battle entirely and laughed. After a long moment, she finally managed, "Maybe we should get dinner."

Steve's stomach rumbled right on cue and Thor laughed as Steve smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, let's do that."

It took them a while, but eventually they found a small restaurant that was still open at the late hour – close to ten at night, now. Allen, as it turned out, indeed still spoke near-fluent Vietnamese, speaking quickly with an easy smile.

Close to the only ones in the place, they ordered and received their food quickly (well, their first serving of food) and settled back into their discussion while waiting for the second.

"We'll have to investigate in the morning," Steve said thoughtfully. "So we should probably try to get some sleep. Then we can go out and ask people if they know anything."

Thor nodded seriously. "Aye." Then, with a wry smile, "Mayhaps we can find some disguises?"

They looked at him with undisguised surprise. He smiled sheepishly.

"Loki has been teaching me much of the art of subtlety," he explained, smile tinting slightly sad. "I try to listen, far more than I once did."

Steve nodded quietly, and Miranda gave him a reassuring smile. Allen smiled, too, and gently moved on.

"Right," he agreed. "You two stand out as much as I do here, so some new clothes are probably in order. Where should we start?"

"The bad part of town," Steve said almost instantly. Miranda looked at him and he shrugged, still looking at them expectantly. "That's where they're least likely to be noticed, right? No one listens to strange reports from the bad part of town, so either we'll hear about them or find them there."

Allen blinked, startled, and then nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… okay. So we're starting there."

"And we're staying together," Steve added firmly, tone brooking no argument.

"Of course, Captain," Thor agreed with a hearty chuckle. Allen smiled warmly.

"Of course," he agreed.

That was when the second round came, and Miranda smiled at them fondly as they all fell in on it happily. She pulled out the mission file (when had she gotten that?) and started to read over it.

By the time they finished, she was frowning slightly.

"Miranda?" Allen asked, concerned.

Miranda bit her lip. "Allen, I think it's Road," she blurted out.

Allen started. "Road?"

She nodded quickly. "The reports say they heard giggling around the sighting areas," she explained, uncomfortable, staring down at the file apprehensively. "And glimpses of a gray little girl. It has to be her." She looked up again, brown eyes gleaming in worry. "But there are reports of a gray man, too, so…" She trailed off.

"So there's someone with her," Steve finished grimly.

"We will capture them both for their crimes!" Thor said confidently, face stern. Miranda smiled a little.

"Yes, I suppose," she agreed. "But what about the people?" Allen started.

"Of course, with Road, we'll have to worry about human casualties too." He worried his lip.

Steve smiled at them. "Don't worry, Thor and I are used to keeping casualties minimal," he assured them. Then, wryly, "We have a lot of practice, you know."

Both of them looked slightly reassured, but not as much as Steve had hoped. Steve let it go and asked,

"So… Road, right?" Allen nodded. "She's a little girl?" He felt disturbed.

Allen nodded again. "But don't let that fool you. She's one of the oldest Noah, and she's probably the most cruel." Almost absently, his left hand reached up to brush his left cheek, right below the eye, and Steve wondered if it was Road who had dealt that damage.

"What manner of foes are they?" Thor asked intently.

Both exorcists hesitated, looking at each Miranda spoke first.

"They're superhuman," she said quietly. "Almost immortal. It takes a lot to kill one."

Steve's brow furrowed. "Kill?" Allen winced at stared at his hands.

"We don't have a choice," he said quietly. "If the Noah don't die – by Innocence, no less – the war will never end. Even if we do, they might reincarnate before we win. We're not sure." He looked troubled.

Steve nodded, expression tired. He'd had enough of killing, but of course, sometimes he supposed it was unavoidable, and though he hadn't known Allen long, he felt sure that the boy would have tried everything he could think of before resorting to killing them.

Thor grinned confidently. "Worry not. We shall conquer them."

The two exorcists didn't quite look convinced, but they didn't look hopeless, either. Steve supposed that would do.


	19. Forest of Nightmares

Lavi, Lenalee, Krory, Natasha, and Clint stepped out into a forest, clearly in the middle of nowhere, scattered with fallen trees. Lavi took a few steps forward, looking around with interest.

"So this is post-earthquake Haiti, huh?" he mused.

"It's pretty wrecked," Clint commented gingerly, also looking around.

Lavi shrugged. "That just makes it a prime spot for akuma."

"We've got company," Natasha warned, spotting movement in the trees.

Instantly, they quieted, following Natasha's gaze to the trees. Clint's hands itched for his bow - dammit, this mission was already making him jumpy. Lavi didn't even try to resist the urge, grabbing his hammer and twirling it once before resting it casually on his shoulder, grown to half its 'full' size. Krory bared his teeth, which flashed radiation green, and Lenalee shifted in preparation to jump, fully prepared to kick down any trees that might get in her way.

They heard a squeak from the trees.

"I'm sorry I'm late! Please don't kill me!" a voice yelped.

Instantly, the three full-time exorcists relaxed, and Lenalee sighed, dropping back into a normal standing position.

"Don't worry," she called out reassuringly, striding forward. "We were just a little startled. We won't hurt you."

Clint put the pieces together and rolled his eyes. "We're meeting a guy?" he asked skeptically. "No one mentioned anything about this to me."

Natasha strode forward after Lenalee, following the exorcists to where they were meeting a frightened-looking finder. "Exorcists usually meet a finder on their missions," she said in a clipped tone. "Extermination missions are the exception."

"It's very good to meet you!" Krory was saying enthusiastically to the finder, shaking his hand.

"What he said," Lavi agreed, shrinking his hammer with a twirl and tucking it back into his belt. He gave the finder a friendly smile, belied by his sharp eyes. Natasha noted that he seemed much more suspicious now than on the last mission. "So, guy, what's your name?"

The man looked faintly startled. "My name is Dave, Mr. Lavi," he said quietly. He bowed slightly to all of them, no longer frightened but still wary and carefully respectful. "It is an honor to meet you all." His brown eyes flickered tentatively between them.

That was interesting, Natasha noted. This wasn't the first time she'd noticed it, but it was the most obvious.

As a finder, Natasha had been essentially disregarded, meaning little and expected to die soon - and indeed, she had had more allies die in her short stint with the Order than her entire career with SHIELD.

HYDRA, of course, was a different matter. No matter the Black Order's faults, it didn't deliberately kill off its operatives.

"I was sent to lead you to our base," Dave continued, now straight again. "I'm afraid it's just me and two others, though. I hope that's alright…?" He eyed them apprehensively.

Lavi waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. Lead the way."

As Dave began to lead them through the wrecked treescape, Lenalee dropped back to talk to Clint.

"I know Natasha's been here for a while, but how are you taking all this, Clint?" she asked, looking concerned. "I know it's a lot to throw at a person. Goodness knows I took it badly enough."

Clint shot her a surprised look and then he chuckled. "Yeah, well, believe it or not, it's not actually all that hard. I'm good with bizarre - just look at the freaks I live with!" He rolled his eyes.

Lenalee laughed. "Some of them are a bit much."

"Exactly," Clint agreed. "And I worked as a SHIELD assassin for years." She looked faintly startled. He shrugged in reply. "So the death, I'm pretty used to that too. But put together?" He grimaced. "That was a bit of a shock, I'll tell you. This shit is just plain ugly."

"It is, isn't it," Lenalee murmured regretfully. She remained silent for a long few seconds before recovering herself and shooting him a smile. "Well, I'm glad you're adjusting. Then again…" She looked back to the front. "Everyone does eventually."

"Everyone who survives," Clint corrected with a tight smile.

Lenalee shot him a surprised look, then smiled ruefully. "Yes. Everyone who survives."

How had he guessed?

The finders' base was a cabin that didn't quite have enough room to comfortably house eight people. Lavi, Lenalee, and Krory all offered to sleep on the floor, but the finders - Dave, Leonard, and Jacqueline - shot them down almost immediately.

Finally, they settled down, the finders each in a rough wood chair, Lavi reclining on the round table, and Krory on another chair. Natasha claimed the stool on the wall, and, with a lack of seating options, Lenalee sat on the nearby bed, while Clint joined Lavi on the small table.

"So, what do we have?" Lenalee asked, violet eyes intent.

"W-well," Leonard stuttered, apparently far more terrified of them than Dave. "We h-haven't seen much yet, but there are traces of d-dark matter everywhere."

"We've also seen glimpses of two people who look human, but with grey skin and gold eyes," Jacqueline added, tone matter-of-fact but shoulders tense and eyes fixed determinedly to the floor.

"Two people, huh?" Lavi mused, leaning back a little. He accidentally bumped into Clint, who bumped him back. Lavi smirked and deliberately bumped him again before sitting back up and continuing, "One of them a little girl, by chance?"

Leonard shot him a frightened look and shook his head.

"So it's not Road, then," Krory concluded with a smile.

"Small blessings," Lenalee agreed with a rueful smile. "Who could it be, then?"

"Tyki Mikk and Sheryll work together sometimes," Lavi muttered, thoughtful now and concentrating. "Then there's Wisely, he works with Sheryll too. And the twins."

Krory frowned. "Is that likely?" he asked plaintively.

"Afraid so," Lavi said with an apologetic smile. Krory made a disgruntled sound.

"What's wrong with the twins specifically?" Clint wondered.

"Nothing, I suppose," Krory admitted reluctantly. "But I'm not, ah, fond of them." He deflated slightly. "I suppose it's as they say. The truth does hurt."

Lenalee smacked Krory over the head.

"You're not a monster," she said firmly.

I'm not Bloody Krory, Natasha recalled Bruce's Innocence saying.

She had a feeling she wouldn't like Bloody Krory much.

"I still can't believe you got out of that," Lavi marvelled. "Did they really shut you in a spiked sarcophagus?"

"Something like that," Krory admitted, giving him a surprised look. "More of an Iron Maiden, I think, only more deadly. How did you know?"

"They told me," Lavi answered. "When… you know." He waved his hand vaguely. The finders were staring at them with wide eyes. "Don't you have something better to do?"

Dave muttered an excuse and they scattered. Lenalee smiled ruefully. Clint chuckled.

"When did they tell you?" Natasha inquired, Lavi's vagueness capturing her attention.

"While he was incarcerated by the Noah," Lenalee explained for him.

"Oh." Clint considered. "How did he get out?" The Noah, from what he'd heard, weren't exactly your average captor. Or your average anything.

"We-ell…" Lavi started, drawing the word out as far as it would go. "You remember that Allen had to leave for a while, right? Because of the Fo- Central?"

Natasha caught the slip up and took a moment to wonder if the Fourteenth was worse than they knew, then nodded.

"I was caught about then," Lavi explained. "Me and Bookman. Then when the beansprout came back, he sort of rallied the Order around him and they stormed the Noah's base." He grinned. "It was pretty damn cool, actually."

"That was when the Third Exorcists died," Lenalee added. Then, softer, "Link didn't show it much, but he was crushed. They used to be his friends."

"Yeah," Lavi echoed regretfully. "But dark matter'll do that to a person. That and worse."

For a moment, all three of them were silent, and Clint could honestly say he was glad that he didn't have a clue what they were thinking of. He wasn't kidding when he said that surreality and death made for an ugly combination.

Then Krory forced himself to perk up and asked, "So what do we do?" He glanced outside. "It's getting late. We may not be able to search tonight."

"No," Lenalee admitted. "Tomorrow morning, then." The others nodded.

"We'll spread out," Natasha said decisively, glancing outside as well. "Within hearing distance, just in case." While not usually overcautious, as it got in the way of efficiency, Natasha thought the akuma and Noah had more than earned it. "Then we'll search out from here."

"Sounds good," Lenalee agreed. She stood up, stretching lightly. "Let's go help, shall we? It looks like they've started preparing dinner already."


	20. Feeling Cold

It took three hours of walking to reach the Russian base where the accommodator was being held.

"Couldn't we have come any closer?" Tony grumbled, annoyed with the whole thing.

"Any nearer and the portal may have been found," Loki replied, irritated. "It runs enough of a risk as it is, even so isolated."

Tony just grumbled.

It wasn't an unreasonable complaint; night had long since fallen and it was Arctic cold out, even with Loki's spells and the activity.

"I hope this accommodator guy appreciates it," Tony continued, complaining to the air now. "I swear I'm never going to Russia again. How did Natasha stand it?"

Beside him, Bruce chuckled, and Tony stuck his nose in the air, making him roll his eyes.

"I'm sure they will, Tony," Bruce soothed halfheartedly, eyes glittering with amusement.

"I wouldn't count on it," Marie said suddenly, voice grim.

"I can see it," the finder, Oson, announced, daring to break his silence for the first time since he'd introduced himself.

"At last," Loki muttered under his breath, not wanting to admit that he agreed with Tony.

They entered the moderately sized safehouse and were led first to where they would be staying, and then, on Marie's expectant, slightly grim request, to where the accommodator was being held.

"Being held?" Tony questioned, dread pooling in his chest. He'd never forgotten the discussion they had when his Innocence first bonded with him.

Oson avoided the question. "There's one other finder here, José. There were more, but…" He shrugged. Marie nodded in understanding.

Tony was tired of not understanding.

Finally, Oson stopped in front of a door and gestured, looking supremely uncomfortable. "He's in here. He's, uh… he's not happy."

Marie nodded once and opened the door.

Almost as soon as he took in the scene inside, Tony felt sick. He felt Bruce stiffen beside him, glanced over in time to see his eyes flash green, and then heard Loki inhale sharply.

Even Marie had to take a deep breath before he stepped in, one hand pressed to his headphones.

"What is this?" he heard Loki hiss at Marie, who didn't answer.

The room was small, with just a bed and a small chest inside. The floor was simple wood, the walls papered in blue and flowers and starting to shred and peel.

One the bed was a boy, with blond hair and blue eyes, not even an adolescent yet. His skin was pale, but flushed at the moment, and he was snarling and twisting against the bonds that tied him to the bed.

"His name is Alexei," Oson explained quietly, looking at anything but the boy. "We don't know what happened, he won't talk to us, but we found him collapsed next to a destroyed building with akuma dust everywhere, and witnesses reported that he'd killed them all. We think he's about twelve years old."

"All?" Marie questioned.

"Four or five of them," Oson clarified.

"Quite a lot for a new exorcist," Marie murmured.

"I am hearing every word you are saying," Alexei rasped suddenly, a distinct Russian accent to the words, turning his head to glare at them viciously. "Whatever you are wanting, get it over with!"

Tony raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "He's got a little attitude," he said offhandedly, smirking hollowly. "But it's not that simple, kid. What did they tell you about what happened?" He glanced at Oson with a frown when the man winced.

"Nothing, idiot!" Alexei snapped, tugging at the rope frantically. For the first time, Tony noted the panic in his eyes. He sighed and leaned against the wall. Marie sat down at the foot of the bed, Loki crossed his arms and leaned beside the door, and Bruce moved to stand beside Tony, hands in his pockets, weary. "I am not knowing anything!" His eyes flashed and he glared again. "Are you knowing something? Tell me now!"

His English was very good for a ten-year-old Russian, Tony noted absently.

"Where did you learn English?" he asked suddenly, interested, thinking about anything but the fact that he was a kid, that Tony knew that he was doomed, and that Tony was still not going to save him.

"Be quiet!" Alexei snapped. "It matters not!" He pulled. "Let me go!"

There was a time when Tony would have made sure he was free even before the kid asked.

"Look, kid, you're not getting out of here, and it's not my fault!" Tony snapped, irrationally angry. Or so he'd like to think. "And if you keep yelling you're never going to find out why you're here!"

Alexei slumped down and gave him a suspicious look.

"Papa taught me," he muttered finally, more a means of concession than an answer. "Before he died. Never forgot - like another mother tongue."

Tony just nodded once, a slight scowl still on his face. "Why don't I explain what's going on?" he said finally, low and grudging and annoyed.

Alexei just gave him another suspicious look. Marie, however, got up from the foot of the bed and walked over to Tony, laying a hand on his shoulder briefly.

"I'll leave this to you," he muttered quietly, before nodding to Oson and leaving. Bruce nodded to Tony, too, and Loki cast Alexei one last look before they both left as well.

* * *

Tony didn't know everything about what was going on, and this could not have been more obvious than when he had to explain it to someone.

Still, he knew enough, and by the time he was through with it all, Alexei had stopped struggling, blue eyes staring off into space, a deep frown set in his face, muttering in Russian under his breath.

Tony waited for a long time before Alexei's eyes finally focused on him again, deeply troubled.

"Twenty-one?" he asked softly, surprising Tony.

"Yeah," Tony confirmed.

"I am not surprised, you know," Alexei told Tony, turning his head to look at the ceiling. "I have seen things. After Papa is dead, I am alone, and I am everywhere." He bit his lip again. "I have seen things," he repeated. "People who disappear. People who are sad and then never seen again." Then, almost inaudible, "Twenty-one people to save the world."

"Sounds about right," Tony said quietly. Wearily, almost - this mission was taking more out of him than he'd realized.

"I can make twenty-two?" Alexei asked uncertainly.

"Well, I wouldn't encourage it," Tony muttered under his breath. "But yeah. You can."

"Oh," Alexei said softly.

Tony didn't want to be here anymore.

"Think about it, kid," Tony said to Alexei, and it actually physically hurt to say, and then he got up and left, and his arc reactor hummed in pride, and he honestly, sincerely wished he'd never heard of the Black Order.

The first thing he said when he left the room was, "He's just a kid."

There was silence for a few moments, and then Marie said, quiet and regretful,

"Lenalee was younger."

* * *

A while after Tony had left Alexei to his thoughts, Loki pushed the door open and walked in.

Alexei was no longer struggling against his bonds; he was too deep in thought for that. He kept repeating 'twenty-one' under his breath, like a chant.

"You wish to join?" Loki asked, making the boy start and look at him.

Almost instantly, Alexei scowled at him; it seemed that it was only Tony he'd warmed to, and perhaps even him only out of shock.

Loki sat on the foot of the bed, casual, like he honestly didn't care, which was such a lie. "Well, I ask if you wish to join. But I already know the answer. Do you?"

Alexei clenched his jaw. "Yes," he snapped, trying to lash out. Being still bound to the bed, he failed miserably, but he took a good shot at it. "What do you care?"

Loki just shrugged, ignoring the attempted blow. "I? I do not, really. What do I care if Midgard falls? But my brother, on the other hand… He cares very much."

Alexei huffed and looked away. "Go away," he snapped. "I wish to be alone! Leave!"

Loki chuckled, not moving to obey. "I will not lie, little exorcist. Joining the Black Order will be by far the most difficult thing you have ever done. I hope that you are ready." He stood up, and the smirk he gave the boy on the bed seemed a little more empty and wry. "But know that there, you will never be alone."

Alexei scowled after him as he left, but that didn't mean he was deaf to his words.

* * *

The next one in was Bruce. Alexei wasn't even looking at him, head turned to frown at the wall, not saying a word.

He didn't look up when Bruce sat at the foot of the bed, head turned and brown eyes on the boy. For a long moment, both of them remained silent.

"Why are you here?" Alexei muttered finally, not looking at him.

Bruce looked at him and smiled slightly. Don't get angry, don't get angry. "I wanted to know what you were thinking," he told him finally.

"You do not care," Alexei countered.

"I do," Bruce disagreed. "I'm sorry this had to happen." The Order really was awful sometimes. Then he repeated, "What are you thinking?"

Alexei scowled for a moment. Then, finally, he muttered, "They are all liars." Bruce wondered vaguely where he'd learned that word. Then again, he probably didn't want to know. "They are acting like I have a choice." He tugged at the rope demonstratively. "I am not an idiot, you know?" He scowled. "I never have a choice." He sounded tired and he sounded resentful, and Bruce had a feeling that he had every right to feel that way.

"You're right," Bruce admitted. "You don't have a choice. From what I hear of it, exorcists never do." Alexei scowled. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry this happened. But you know what this means, don't you?"

"I am going with you," Alexei said irritably. "I am having no choice. I am fighting for you."

"You don't have to," Bruce disagreed. When Alexei opened his mouth, he said quickly, "You do have to come with us. But it's up to you what you fight for."

Alexei stopped. "What?"

"Different people fight for different things," Bruce explained softly. "I mentioned that the exorcists don't have a choice, right? They all fight for different reasons." He remembered that vividly. "You just have to remember yours."

Alexei studied him for a long moment. "Tony told me that there were twenty-one," he said finally.

Bruce nodded. "That's right."

"You are outnumbered?"

Bruce smiled wryly. "That's one way of putting it."

"That is unfair."

"It is."

Alexei scowled. Tugged at the ropes. "I want out. Let me out."

"I'm sorry." Bruce couldn't look at him.

"I hate things that are unfair." Bruce was startled. Alexei was scowling at him, blue eyes flashing with anger, one fist shaking as it pulled. "Everything is unfair. I hate it."

"That's true," Bruce said cautiously.

"I hate it!" Alexei struggled against the ropes, and for a moment, Bruce almost thought he'd break them. "Let me out! I will make it fair! I want to make it fair!"

"Sh," Bruce urged, trying to calm him. "We're leaving tomorrow, alright? I promise." He kept his thoughts to himself; nothing was fair, and making Alexei an exorcist certainly wouldn't make it so.

Alexei's eyes were wide on him, furious. "Why will you not let me go? What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything," Bruce said firmly. "Okay?"

Alexei, slowly, relaxed, face set in a frown. "...Okay."

* * *

"Does this happen a lot?"

Tony sat down heavily beside Marie, who didn't react much. Marie didn't bother playing the idiot; it was one of the reasons Tony liked him. Very few people in the Order would give him an honest answer when the answer was painful.

"More often than one would expect," Marie told him, not looking at him. "I wouldn't call it common, though." He grimaced. "Well. Not for adults."

"Oh." Tony frowned, tapping on his knee thoughtfully, brooding unashamedly. "Do they always come around?"

Marie nodded.

"Do you think Alexei will?" For some reason, this in particular bothered Tony. For all that the kid was snappish and angry, Tony had found that he liked him.

"Yes. I am certain so. He's strong, Tony. Don't worry."

"Huh." Tony tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. "How much do you believe that?"

Marie's expression turned firm. "He has to be strong. I won't believe anything else of him."

Okay, then.

Tony was glad that Allen and Lavi hadn't ratted him out as an exorcist.

 _The worst thing,_  Tony thought, not long after, laying down to bed,  _is how resigned the exorcists are to everything._

* * *

**20 Days to Invasion**


	21. Time-Worn Scars

"Good morning, Captain," Allen greeted with a smile as soon as Steve entered the room.

Allen sat with Thor, Miranda, and the owner of the establishment at a small, round table in the kitchen. Being nearly finished with breakfast already, Allen had slowed down enough to talk, and the woman looked up and smiled at him lightly, tipping her head.

"Good morning, Steve," she greeted him in perfect English, amusement underlining her voice.

Steve could understand; he'd spent almost the entire time they were meeting the first time, late the previous night, bright red from his surroundings. She had been very polite to not laugh at him aloud. "Good morning, Lan."

Lan took one look at his still-flushed face and laughed at him. Apparently her politeness only extended so far.

"Good morning, Captain!" Thor greeted loudly, possibly waking all of the still-sleeping girls. Miranda offered him a tentative smile as well. "Lady Lan was just telling us the tale of how she met the White Exorcist!"

The White Exorcist? Steve's mind flashed to Allen's Innocence, the bright white cloak that swished and spun and the silver mask that hid his face. Oh.

"How was that?" he asked curiously, sitting down.

"Help yourself," Lan said of the food that remained even after Allen's meal, and then, as he complied, continued, "It is nothing special, really. Cross Marian has been a-" She smirked subtly. "-loyal patron for quite some years now. Then one day, he shows up with a little white-haired boy who manages to befriend just about all of my girls within the first ten minutes with his cute little face and his manipulative charm." Allen protested. Lan ignored him. "If ever someone had told me ten years ago that Cross Marian was going to get an apprentice, I would have sent them home with a hangover cure for the next morning. But little Allen was just the sort of boy I would have expected to come of it."

Allen complained to himself under his breath, scowling slightly.

For a while, with prompting, Lan told a few more stories about Cross and Allen, and Allen sulked quietly. Finally, Steve asked her how she became a supporter for the Order, and she went quiet. Finally, she answered.

"No one ever meets the Order in a good way, Captain." She smiled humorlessly. "I lost my family to an akuma attack, along with half my hometown. After that, I moved, came here, started a business, and became an informant and a refuge. I like to think I've served the Order well."

"You do indeed," Thor smiled. Lan laughed quietly.

"Thank you for saying so; you're very kind."

"It's true," Miranda said quietly, with a shy smile. Lan returned with a gentle one; it hadn't taken much for her to take a liking to the exorcist. "Every little bit helps. I've learned that." She smiled at Allen, who smiled back.

"I suppose you're right," Lan allowed.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Lan," Steve said quietly, pushing back and standing. "But I'm afraid we need to go. It's about time we get started."

Lan tipped her head. "Of course. I anxiously await your return." She chuckled quietly. "Try not to wreck things too badly, please."

"We'll try," Allen promised with a smile.

"Oh, and-" Lan's smile vanished, becoming serious and slightly melancholy. "I'll be sure to be prepared in case of injuries."

Allen's smile turned pained. "...Yeah."

Thor clapped Allen on the shoulder and smiled at Lan. "Worry not, Lady Lan, but be prepared."

"Of course."

* * *

Ho Chi Minh was much more crowded during the day, Steve noted wryly.

In sharp contrast to the sparsely populated streets of the night before, daytime Saigon, as Steve had heard Lan call the city, was a mess of crowds, full of mopeds and vendors and-

Steve caught a young boy's hand, intercepting it on its journey to one of his pockets. He gave the now-frozen boy a small smile. "Please don't."

The boy gave him a wide-eyed look and then ran off, disappearing into the crowd.

Almost instantly, Miranda checked her wallet as well, anxious. Luckily, it was still there, or else Komui might have scolded her. Not that Komui's scoldings were anything to be particularly fearful of.

The group had left Lan's with new sets of clothes that blended in better, and though it was merely a token gesture at best, it still helped at least somewhat.

"...I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Allen asked, looking embarrassed, referring to the pickpocket.

Steve chuckled and shrugged. "No harm done." He looked ahead again. "Though I wish he would have asked instead." His expression turned a little pensive. "He probably needs it more than I do."

Allen stole a glance at him, silver eyes thoughtful. Miranda beat him to it.

"Is something wrong, Captain?" she asked, concerned. Thor looked at Steve as well, brow furrowed.

Steve shrugged. "It's nothing, really." When they continued to look at him expectantly, he continued, "I did grow up in the Depression, you know. I know what it's like."

Miranda and Thor's eyes cleared at that, but Allen still looked confused.

Steve frowned slightly. "Don't they teach about the Great Depression at school?"

Allen made a small noise of understanding and looked back to the front, keeping his head down slightly. "I didn't have a lot of chances to go to school," he said vaguely.

"Why not?" A moment later, Steve realized. "Oh. You said your Innocence activated when you were ten, didn't you?"

Allen nodded.

"The Great Depression was a time of much unemployment and high prices," Thor explained, very proud of remembering this; Steve had told him some time ago. "People were poor, but they bravely pulled through - much like our good Captain." He smiled broadly at Steve, who smiled wryly.

"I see," Allen said thoughtfully. "You told me you were sick a lot when you were young. Did that cause a lot of trouble for you?" He looked concerned, moonsilver eyes on Steve.

Steve grimaced. "You could say that."

Even as Allen asked question after question, Steve didn't realize what Allen was doing until an hour later, when they'd finally found their way to less crowded streets, and even then, it was because Miranda was giggling and Thor was starting to grin.

Lavi had told him that Allen was going to do that, and he still hadn't noticed. That was slightly embarrassing.

Not that the time was wasted; Allen and Thor, the only reliable communicators, had paused their conversation whenever they found someone they wanted to ask about strange activity. And once, Allen had paused to quietly indicate an akuma, which Thor had promptly gone and killed.

That had been rather anticlimactic, actually.

Eventually, despite all of the best intentions, Steve lost track of both Allen and Thor. Thor was understandable; Thor was speaking to everybody who stood still long enough. Allen, he still wasn't sure what had happened. But Miranda was in sight, so he wasn't a complete failure.

"Young man, are you lost?"

Steve started at the kind, though thickly accented voice and turned his head.

A concerned-looking, elderly Vietnamese woman was looking his way, pausing on her path in the near-abandoned street. He smiled and shook his head, distracted for now.

"I'm fine, ma'am," he assured her A thought struck him and his eyes gleamed hopefully. "Actually, if you don't mind, may I ask you a question?"

The concern melted away and she gave him a slight smile. "Certainly."

Steve smiled gratefully. "Are there any places that have had a lot of trouble recently?"

Meanwhile, Allen was wrapping up a very similar conversation just around the corner, with a woman carrying a sleeping baby and holding the hand of a child who stared at Allen with wide brown eyes.

"And people have been disappearing from all of these places?" Allen asked anxiously, silver eyes worried and his Vietnamese scraping the bottom of passable.

The mother - Chan - smiled at him, gentle and weary. "I'm afraid so. You should be fine so long as you avoid them, though."

Allen gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you very much," he told her, with a slight bow. As he did, he subtly slipped a handful of currency into her pocket; she looked like she needed it.

"It was no trouble," Chan assured him. "Be careful."

"I will," Allen promised, and lingered for a few moments to watch her walk away before turning around; his eye was twinging and it was best to find out why.

As it turned out, it was twinging because there was an akuma on the street, and Thor was approaching it with the clear intent of speaking to it. That could have turned out badly.

Thor was smiling broadly as he approached the dark-haired man who skin the akuma wore. (Who was it? It looked young. A son? A nephew?)

"Hello, friend!" Thor greeted loudly as Allen hurried nearer. "Might you-"

The akuma transformed. Allen stabbed it before its skin fell to the ground.

Thor blinked. Then his expression saddened and he deflated.

"Ah. I see."

Allen smiled at him wryly just as Steve, quickly followed by Miranda, rounded the corner. Both wanderers turned to look at them.

Steve frowned at the akuma dust floating in the air, trying to blend in with the rest of the pollution. "What happened?" he asked.

Thor smiled apologetically. "Nothing of note, I assure you, good Captain. The White Exorcist purified the akuma before it could do harm."

Actually, that akuma had been almost a level two - it had done plenty of harm.

Allen decided not to share this. Steve and Thor didn't need to know that.

"That eye really does come in handy, doesn't it?" Steve remarked, hiding the sudden bolt of fear - Thor could have been dead in a handful of seconds, and he wouldn't have known until it was too late.

"Yeah," Allen agreed, left hand lifting to brush against the vivid scar. Steve would have considered cursing himself for bringing it up, but he thought that the curse reminded Allen of it more often than he ever could.

Miranda was giving Allen a hesitant, curious look, too, and it didn't take Allen long to notice. He turned his head and tilted it inquisitively.

"Miranda?"

Miranda squeaked. "It's nothing!" she said hastily. "I'm sorry for staring! I won't do it again!"

Allen smiled ruefully and made calming gestures. "Miranda, it's alright, don't worry about it. What were you wondering about?"

"Well…" Miranda calmed down, but looked no less hesitant. "I was wondering… how you got your curse."

Allen's smile vanished, something Steve hadn't seen it do quite like that before.

"I'm sorry!" Miranda said quickly. "I won't ask again!"

"No, I-" Allen faltered, looking back to the front. Steve and Thor kept carefully silent, just as curious as the time exorcist. "I got it when I was ten, did you know?" Miranda gasped softly, a hand moving to cover her mouth. Allen's mouth didn't move, but his smile changed; it was self-incriminating now. "Mana gave it to me when I turned him into an akuma." Quieter, "He was crying. They all are."

Well, what did you say to that?

* * *

When they returned to Lan's, they had a good amount of information. Together with Lan, they managed to narrow it down to one likely location: Ho Van Hue, a motel with a bad reputation and an association with the occult.


	22. Blink and You Miss It

They set out early in the morning; though the sun's light lit the sky above and the forest floor below, it hadn't yet risen above the treeline. Occasionally they would glimpse it in gaps between the trees, but no more.

When they met back at base three hours after they set out, they had little to show for it. Lavi had found a violet comb, while Clint waved a makeup brush exasperatedly and Natasha…

Well. As soon as Lavi saw the paper Natasha bore, he knew exactly who was hiding here.

"Jasdebi," Krory hissed, confirming Lavi's suspicion.

Natasha glanced at the invoice in her hands and raised her eyebrows. "Noahs go to brothels?" she asked dubiously.

"No," Lavi corrected, smirking lightly, eyes on the trees. "General Cross goes to brothels and he sends Jasdebi the bills."

"That makes no sense," Clint complained, smirking all the same and shaking his head. "You people make no sense."

Lenalee laughed, unconsciously backing into the circle the five exorcists were falling into, instinct speaking to something deep inside them. "It's good Allen isn't here. They sure have it out for him, don't they?"

"Company," Clint said sharply, cutting through the rueful amusement. Natasha's gun was out and aimed into the trees, and Clint's bow was drawn. The exorcists looked over, the levity gone like a candlelight in the wind.

"Purple bomb!" two voices called out in unison, and a cloud of violet dust exploded from the center of their circle. They didn't even have time to flinch.

When the smoke cleared, all of the trees in the area had vanished, leaving bare earth as far as the eye could see. A flash of green lit Lenalee's boots, and Lavi's hammer grew about five sizes, while Krory grabbed a flask from his cloak and drank it down in three quick gulps, making his eyes go yellow and his whites go black.

Right. That was a thing they needed to do.

Natasha's gun barrel set itself alight and Clint took a deep breath. One… Two… Three…

_Activate._

Cool-cold power rushed up Clint's arms from where his hands met his bow, and the familiar weight turned odd and awkward. That was fine. A little thing like that wouldn't keep him from hitting his mark.

Not a second later, he let out a yell as the bare earth was suddenly crowded, clusters of the same two figures leaning against each other, smirking, arms crossed, each wielding a shining golden gun.

The exorcists didn't seem to mind, but that number of guns made Clint tenser than ever.

"Hey, hey, hey, exorcists," one set called out lazily, inhumanly grey face caked with makeup, short black hair spiked, voice coming from all around in a chorus. "What brings you to our section of the woods?"

The other, with long blond hair and (his? her?) lips sewn shut, laughed raucously, awful and echoing in their surrounding. "You weren't thinking of challenging Jasdebi, were you? This is Jasdebi's place, you know!"

Clint caught Lenalee's eye, and her gaze flickered to Lavi, who shook his head slightly. Lenalee looked back to Clint and shook her head. Not yet.

"So what should Jasdebi do with you, huh?" the short-haired one - Debitto, if Clint remembered - continued gleefully. The smile turned malevolent and dark. "You killed a lot of our siblings, you know."

Clint had a bad feeling about this.

"Yeah!" The other, Jasdero, agreed "Jasdebi wants to kill you for that!" He grinned, too, eyes wide and insane.

Lavi's single eye flicked to Clint, and he tilted his head down slightly. Clint nodded and caught Natasha's eye, echoing the signal. Natasha nodded.

Clint looked back to Lavi just in time to see the little hammer pinwheeling in his hand, growing as it went, and he ducked. So did Natasha, Krory, and Lenalee. Lavi swung.

A bunch of fake Jasdebis vanished, but Clint barely noticed over the crashing scream of a bunch of trees smashing.

Clint cursed loudly. The fuck was Jasdebi's power? This would have been nice to know!

"Hey!" the remaining Jasdebis - still more than Clint could count - protested. "Jasdebi was talking to you!"

Natasha glanced at Clint and then vanished into the crowd. Clint raised his bow, aimed, and fired. The arrow slammed into the air and stuck there.

Awesome.

Lavi caught Clint's eye now, and then he deliberately turned away while the marksman continued to fire arrows at the ground, marking each tree closest to them. Because, yeah, not walking into trees is very pleasant. Clint enjoyed not walking into trees.

He hated everything.

"So, Jasdebi," Lavi said casually. "Seen Cross lately?"

As a distraction, Clint mused, eying each of the marked, invisible trees, it worked beautifully well.

The crowd started to writhe and shriek unevenly, Jasderos and Debittos flailing and stomping their feet in comical rage.  _"Don't talk to Jasdebi about that bastard!"_

Krory grinned, a frightening fang-toothed smile. "He left you with the debt again, did he?"

_"Shut up!"_

Unnoticed by the twin Noah, fake Jasderos and Debittos began to vanish.

Meanwhile, Krory edged closer to Clint and leaned down to explain quietly, "Jasdebi has the ability of Materialization. Anything they imagine at the same time may be conjured and used."

"Great," Clint gritted out, fist tight on his bow. "You couldn't have said that before Natasha went to find them?"

Krory turned and gave him a horrified look. "She's out there?"

Clint glanced at him and then grinned slightly. "Don't worry about it. Natasha can take care of herself."

"If you're sure," Krory murmured, looking worried anyway.

More and more Jasderos and Debittos were vanishing, completely unnoticed by the actual twins.

Then Natasha's gun went off.

Clint knew that Natasha wouldn't have fired her gun without a good reason. The sudden wave of every single Jasdero and Debitto turning toward her instead of vanishing proved that she did not have a good reason.

"Shit." Krory seemed to agree, and he grabbed Clint by the back of his shirt, swooping forward. Clint clung on easily enough, keeping a sharp eye on the situation.

"Krory?" Lenalee called out questioningly. Then, on an unheard signal, she nodded and leapt off, with Lavi jumping up after her and clinging to her leg, with much less dignity than Clint had managed.

"Lenaaaaa!" he screamed, kicking his feet helplessly.

Lenalee looked down. "Oh!" She reached down and tugged Lavi to a better position, then looked back, narrowly avoiding a tree just as Lavi indicated it.

"Krory!" Lavi finally called out, as they headed for Natasha, who had backed against a - guess what - invisible tree gun out and ready against the ominously grinning Noah.

Krory glanced back, not even needing to look to dodge the trees. "What is it, brat?"

"Can you sense Jasdebi like you did before?"

Krory grinned, and it was wide and feral. "Why, yes. I can."


	23. Level Up

"I can walk!"

Alexei jerked roughly away from Oson, scowling ferociously. Oson backed up quickly, hands in the air.

"Okay!"

That was the third time that Oson had attempted to take over leading Alexei, and it was clear that the boy was growing increasingly irritated with it.

Loki chuckled and hung back a few feet behind Alexei, keeping an eye on him. Alexei scowled at him, too, but then looked back to the front.

If he chose to, Loki could hear Bruce and Tony quietly discussing what they'd learned about Innocence, and even quieter, about what Tony himself had experienced in that regard.

"Sometimes it sounds like it's trying to talk to me," Tony said to Bruce in an undertone. Bruce was visibly startled, and Loki looked up sharply. So did Marie.

Too late, Loki remembered Marie's extraordinary hearing as the man's head tilted slightly, but then the man nodded at him, mouth a thin line, and then announced, tense,

"Akuma on the way."

Both finders turned to give him an alarmed look, and Alexei started, hard. Tony tensed and Loki's brow creased, while Bruce's eyes widened, a soft beeping filling the air.

Visibly concentrating, with one hand on his headphones, Marie waited a few moments, and then continued, "I hear a number of level ones, a few level twos… and about five or six level threes."

"Alexei, Oson, José," Loki said sharply, attracting their attention. "Get closer together. Quickly."

Alexei was giving him a suspicious, confused look, but the finders, pale-faced and as grim as Marie, obeyed without question.

Loki started muttering, casting shield spells he knew wouldn't hold for long, not under heavy assault.

Even with his back turned, Loki saw the blaze of light as Tony activated his Innocence, heard the sharp inhalation, but Loki didn't turn back around; without the signature roar of the Hulk, he knew he still had time.

It was a few seconds before Alexei realized what Loki was doing, but when he did, his face grew frustrated.

"I can fight!" he protested, a hand in his jacket; that must be where his Innocence was, still raw and hard to use.

"You can," Loki acknowledged, expression unmoved, brow still furrowed in concentration. "And you will; worry not-" He smirked slightly, dry. "Your time will come. But not today."

The roar of the Hulk signalled the arrival of the first akuma. Loki sighed, unsatisfied, before frowning at the three in front of him.

"Do nothing stupid," he ordered them, turning to face the akuma.

"We won't," Oson promised the air, serious as he stuck close to Alexei, watching him.

Not far away and approaching fast were a number of level one akuma, interspersed with a slightly smaller number of level twos and led by two of the level threes Marie had mentioned.

Hulk roared at them, eyes blazing greener than usual, obviously raring to go. Tony grinned, JARVIS's voice in his ear, and called,

"Hulk!"

Hulk stopped roaring at the akuma and frowned at him.

"Smash."

Hulk grinned.

* * *

Alexei was slightly pale as he stared over the crowd of akuma; this was far more than he'd taken on, before he got taken by the Order. But the Hulk smashed through all of them gleefully, fists blazing and grin unholy.

Beside him, José flinched as a hail of bullets impacted the shield, and Oson shuddered.

"Goddamn akuma," Oson muttered fervently.

"You can't hide there forever!" an akuma cackled - Alexei didn't remember any of them talking before - bathing the shield in icy breath. "We will get you soon!"

Oson scowled at the speaking akuma and looked down at Alexei, who had gone very, very quiet when the fight began, eyes focused on the grown exorcists, fighting through fire and bullets and flying rocks and only God knew what else.

"Can't you do something about that?" he asked, trying not to let his voice shake as more bullets hit the shield, making it waver visibly. "I know you're young, but you  _are_  an exorcist. I know you can fight these things."

Alexei gave him a scornful look.

"Are you seeing what I am seeing?" he asked skeptically. "Because I do not think that you are, if you are thinking that I would be helping."

Unnoticed by the finders, he gripped his Innocence tighter inside his jacket, shaking slightly.

* * *

"You are not a typical exorcist," the string-wielding level three remarked, with unnerving intelligence and what passed for a wolfish grin.

"Say it isn't so," Loki replied archly, while Tony twisted around the thread cast with the remark - he'd seen what that thing did to the pine tree, and he wanted no part of it.

 _"Power levels undepleted, sir,"_  JARVIS informed him, sounding mildly bemused.

"Really?" Tony cackled, attracting strange looks. "Then let's go for it!"

"Stark, I wouldn't recommend that," Loki called out, teleporting out of the way nonetheless, looking resigned.

"Really? I would." Tony took aim with both hands as well as the poison-green reactor in his chest, and the akuma barely had the time to fire back before sustained, Innocence-powered repulsors fried it like an ant under a looking glass.

The force sent Tony tumbling through the air, but he was cackling.

"You have all the finesse and subtlety of a bilgesnipe," Loki told him.

"Who cares? He's been fried!" Tony cackled.

"You are  _drunk_  on  _power."_

"Maybe a little," Tony admitted, righting himself with a grin. "How're the levels, J?"

 _"An entire one percent depleted, sir,"_  JARVIS replied, electronic amusement in his voice.  _"Might I suggest avoiding the flamethrower?"_

"What?" Tony spotted the incoming akuma flame. "Whoa!"

His repulsors reacted without his consent, rocketing him out of the way while Loki addressed the small problem of the flamethrower-armed level three.

_"Stark!"_

Marie's voice rang out, sharp and alarmed, just as Tony looked up into the curious eyes of a flying, black-and-white figure, just above him.

"Hello. I'm level four. Are you an exorcist?"

Huh. It  _did_  look like a baby reject angel.

* * *

José gulped.

"And they were doing so well," he managed, watching as Tony, Loki, and Marie took on the level four while the Hulk started going after what remained of the akuma force, being two level threes and half a swarm of ones.

It wasn't going well.

Then there was the fact that each consecutive bullet was making the shield waver and warp more and more, and José was stiff and frightened. Oson wasn't much better, and Alexei was as pale as the snow around them.

"The magician's had his fun," a voice announced suddenly. They turned to see a large, armored akuma, dark violet, with glowing purple blades for arms, curved and wicked like its grin.

It raised its arms, Oson went death pale, and José flinched.

Alexei screamed, _"NO!"_  and ripped his Innocence from his jacket - a slingshot, basic and handmade, well-crafted and with an Innocence jewel embedded right below the junction.

Alexei pulled back the pouch, aimed, and then released, face set in a furious snarl, eyes blazing, and a glowing green marble the size of a baseball hit the akuma and exploded violently.

It reeled back with a sound that was more yell than roar and more angry than hurt. And then it snapped back and snarled.

"Well, well. The little exorcist has a bite."

* * *

Tony felt a lot less drunk on power with his suit caved in, making it harder to breathe.

"JARVIS? Status check?" he panted.

 _"Three cracked ribs, sir, and armor 32% compromised,"_  JARVIS replied, a hint of worry in his mechanical voice.  _"At my estimate, the damage to the armor would be at least three times that were it not for the Innocence enhancement."_

"Well, shit," Tony muttered, as much for the whispered confirmation in his chest as the information JARVIS had given him. "And the others?"

_"Mr. Odinson has only bruises. Mr. Marie, however, appears to have multiple fractured ribs and possibly a sprained wrist."_

"Really?" Tony chanced a glance at Marie, who was grimacing in pain but wielding his Innocence with equal (or almost equal) strength with both hands.

"I'm tired of this game," the level four decided, looking at them thoughtfully. It smiled. "Let's play another."

"Let's not," Tony disagreed, aiming one hand and firing. The level four twisted out of the way and frowned at him, wiggling one finger like he was a rambunctious child.

"Uh-oh, Mr. Exorcist. You'll make me upset." Then it smiled. "But I was having so much fun, I almost forgot." The smile widened. "I'm a Weapon of Slaughter."

"That you are," Loki mumbled, glancing at the destruction around them. He reached out with a binding spell just as Marie shot his Innocence with the mutter,

"Noel Organon: Verse of the Saints."

The level four bore both with nothing but a mildly irritated look. And Loki had seen that activation destroy a level three.

"I'm tired of this game," it repeated.

And it cast both exorcists away with a sweep of its arm.

Marie was knocked out on contact with the ground, and even Loki was left temporarily stunned and struggling for breath.

_"Sir!"_

Tony didn't have time to react before the akuma was on him, grin too wide and eyes too blank.

And its fingers were digging deep into the armor.

Tony's eyes widened in panic as it started to rip at the armor.

 _"Shit!"_  He blasted the akuma with his reactor's repulsor, but it just made its grin wider.

"You have a pretty shell, Mr. Exorcist, but I'm afraid it's in the way."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Panicked, Tony struggled to throw the akuma off him, without success.

"Ah ha!" The level four smiled and pulled, taking the entire chest plate with it, and nearly taking the reactor as well.

The smile disappeared, the level four's gaze fixed on Tony's arc reactor. Tony felt a sharp chill.

"Oh.  _That's_  your Innocence." The unholy grin returned. "Well, why didn't you say so?"


	24. Past the Illusion

_"Aahh!"_

Clint's ears hurt from the scream that Jasdebi emitted when Krory lunged for an empty space, dodging trees he couldn't see with surprising skill and maneuverability.

"Where are they?" Clint demanded of Krory, eyes intent, scanning the crowd.

Krory didn't question it, simply pointing. "There. You will have a clear shot in exactly five seconds."

Clint narrowed his eyes, counting carefully, and then shot two arrows in quick succession to precisely where Krory had indicated.

Another scream rang out from the crowd as both found their mark and exploded - that was a pleasant surprise - and then there was no crowd, and no purple masks, either. But there were trees, which made it much easier for Clint to aim a shot himself instead of relying on Krory.

Exactly one Jasdero and one Debitto glared from the ground, skin and muscle healing over where chunks of flesh had been blown off of Jasdero's torso and Debitto's leg.

"Good shot, Clint!" Lenalee called out, flying much faster now that she could see the trees herself. She found Natasha, who was holding her bleeding arm with a slight grimace, and landed hard, allowing Lavi to quickly release her, looking queasy.

"Jasdebi should have known that you would see through that," Debitto muttered, backing up a few steps, gun held carefully to Jasdero's head even as Jasdero did the same to him. Clint wondered warily what they were planning to accomplish with that, because by now he was sure it wasn't anything good.

"That trick doesn't always work twice, Jasdero," Jasdero agreed.

Then they grinned together. "But this one does."

Lavi's eye narrowed suspiciously.

_"Once there was a single cradle."_

Krory bit out a harsh curse and Clint waited impatiently, bow drawn and arrow aimed. He didn't know what they were doing, but he didn't have to to know it wasn't good.

"Should I fire?" he muttered to Krory, since he evidently knew what was going on.

Krory grimaced. "Though I hate it, I am not certain that we can finish this until they do this." Then, in a mutter, "At least there will only be one of them then."

 _"But in that cradle hid another."_  They were smirking, eyes gleaming confidently. A trump card, then.

All of them were waiting, frozen and tense, for Jasdebi to finish.

_"One became two."_

"Get ready," Lavi muttered to Lenalee, who nodded seriously and hopped a little off the ground, the butterfly wings of her Innocence flapping and fluttering anxiously.

_"A single cradle, hidden within the mist and a single star."_

Natasha noted Lenalee and Lavi both tensing further and narrowed her eyes, ready to move.

_"Rocking in the grave as the mist fades away."_

_Bam._

The shots were so synchronized that the two sounded like one, and Jasdero and Debitto shot each other in the head.

Clint let out a startled yell and jerked back, releasing reflexively, and it plunged into the smoke that had appeared and hit nothing.

Because apparently they needed to prove that it was magic with lots of lights and smoke.

Clint's eyes found the two twins' shadows and then his heart chilled.

Because the shadows were mixing together.

"This trick again, huh?" Lavi muttered, hammer growing a few sizes in preparation.

"What are they doing?" Natasha asked quietly, gaze unwavering.

"They're combining into one," Lenalee answered for him. Then, "Move!"

She shot up, and Natasha and Lavi lunged in opposite directions, but it was too late; long blond strands grabbed Lavi and pulled him back into the smoke just as it was clearing, hammer falling to the ground.

In the middle of it, a Noah, taller than either of the twins had been, threw his head back and laughed.

"Humans are so foolish!" Jasdebi chuckled, hair curling and twisting, tangling Lavi up into it even as he struggled. "Oh, don't feel bad. We are, after all, mesmerizing."

"Shit!" Lavi yelled from within the depths, feeling rather foolish. "Someone get me out of here, please!"

"Don't worry, Lavi!" Lenalee called out, soaring a little higher to search out an opening. "We'll get you out!"

"Counting on it, Lena!"

"Shut up, exorcist brat." Jasdebi cast Lavi a disdainful look and then the locks and strands shifted and tightened unexpectedly, and Lavi let out a choked wheeze as they wrapped tightly around his throat, not quite threatening to suffocate him but coming dangerously close. Hands shot up to pull at it, face twisting unpleasantly as he gasped and wheezed.

 _"No!"_  Lenalee gasped, and Krory hissed in agreement, black-yellow eyes sharpening in alarm and intensity.

Clint stiffened and shot a look at Natasha, who nodded and then slipped into the trees, disappearing. Krory ignored them both and lunged head on, every inch the vampire he appeared to be as he tossed the trees aside like they were nothing. Clint hoped Natasha would stay far away from him, because it would really suck if she got hit by a tree.

Jasdebi caught him with ease, one hand catching each of his, smirk never wavering as they pushed against each other in a test of raw strength.

"So we meet again,  _monster,"_  he said lightly, teeth bared in a vicious, insincere grin.

"So we do, brat," Krory agreed, pushing a little harder, seemingly evenly matched.

The two of them were caught in a standoff until Lenalee dove, apparently seeing a chance, but Jasdebi's head whipped up and a lock of hair… stuff… whipped up and caught her across the face and torso, throwing her off slightly.

Luckily, Jasdebi's concentration was also thrown by this, and Krory managed to throw him aside and into a tree, where his breath was knocked out of him for a moment, leaving him briefly wheezing.

"Now, Lenalee!" Krory commanded, and Lenalee lunged again, hardly worse for the wear save for a welt across her cheek. She dove down just as Natasha reappeared, tackling Jasdebi and getting him into a threatening chokehold within seconds and distracting him enough for Lenalee to dart into the mass of hair and then back out, both her and Lavi emerging virtually unscathed.

Lenalee let Lavi down against a tree and he gasped for breath and massaged his throat, where it was a clear a bruise would be emerging sooner rather than later. "Thanks for the save," he managed.

"Anytime," she promised honestly, and Jasdebi thrashed and threw Natasha off, though she landed, catlike, not far away. They both returned their attention to the fight.

Natasha had gained a fair few bruises and cuts but, together with Krory and Clint, was doing surprisingly well against the powerful Noah, who was looking more irritated by the second.

Finally, Clint fired another  _(awesome!)_  explosive Innocence arrow into the fray and directly into Jasdebi's face, he threw his arm out - throwing all of them in different directions and causing them to slam hard against various trees - and screamed, a slightly insane intonation to his voice,

_"ENOUGH!"_

The trees vanished. Didn't just vanish from sight, actually vanished. So did a large portion of the ground.

Clint hissed; now they were in the middle of a giant  _pit of doom._  God, he hated this mission.

And it was a pit of doom; it was easily the size of a football field, interspersed randomly with small pillars of stone, alarmingly deep, and the bottom lined with sharp spikes and ominous-looking skeletons of various levels of completion.

Each of them was standing on a separate pillar, all some ways apart, and Jasdebi a little in front of all of them, expression somewhere between a smirk and a scowl.

"How will you do when the ground's not there to support you, hm?" Jasdebi asked rhetorically.

Krory smirked, teeth bared and vicious. "If you'll recall, I don't nee-"

A giant, comical hand appeared out of nowhere and poked him into the pit of death with one equally huge index finger.

Clint seriously considered throwing himself in as well.

"Krory!" Lenalee darted in after him, but Jasdebi smirked.

"I don't think so."

Another lock of hair shot out and wrapped around her ankle, pulling her back harshly. Clint was just closed enough to hear a sickening pop and a muffled moan from Lenalee, her face twisting in pain.

Clint started cursing, profanity flowing from his mouth like a shit river, and his bow sparked in response, a corresponding hum starting up that he didn't notice as he aimed and fired.

Screw the ground, he didn't need to move around to hit his target.

The arrow hit the lock and turned out to be incendiary, which was great because that was what he'd been hoping for. He re-aimed and shot straight up without looking, burning up another lock of hair that was lunging at him from above, and then another coming from the side.

Natasha was moving like the empty space didn't even matter, hopping easily from pillar to pillar, avoiding each lock nimbly and firing periodically at Jasdebi, who cursed each time a bullet found its mark and exploded.

Lavi seemed less pleased with the situation, jumping gingerly to get close enough to swing his hammer, except he stopped rather short and called out, "Extend!" which did most of the work for him now he was at an angle where he wouldn't affect Natasha.

Clint yelled as a lock snuck past his guard and wrapped around his arm, pulling hard and not quite dislocating it, but that definitely hurt and now there was something like rope burn all down his arm and it was really very unpleasant.

Plus he nearly fell over, a near miss in and of itself at this point.

Lavi swung at Jasdebi, eye intent and serious, and Jasdebi snarled and leapt over it in a showy backflip, and then fixed his eyes on Natasha, which really should have been their first warning.

But none of them were actually expecting the pad of paper - invoices, Clint registered distantly - that appeared out of nowhere and smacked her in the face, knocking her off her already-precarious perch and sending her into the doom pit.

Clint's curses grew in volume.  _"Natasha!"_

Natasha had not been expecting that at all, and she cursed herself for it even as she thought fast, the top of the pillar growing rapidly more distant as she fell, heart racing in alarm.

Then she stopped abruptly, and her heart followed suit as she followed the hand on her catsuit to the blood-red face of her apparent rescuer.

"Need a hand?" Krory asked her, smirking, one hand buried in the stone of the pillar, cracks emanating out from it.

It was now apparent why his Innocence was called Bloody Krory; if she had to guess, she would say that this form was made of blood, and looking down, she could distantly make out the limp body of what could only be Krory, at the bottom of a vicious spike.

Silently, she reached up and adjusted so that Krory could keep climbing.

"It couldn't hurt," she allowed.


	25. And They'll Be No More

Oson nearly collapsed in relief. "Oh, thank god."

Alexei scowled at him. "Be quiet." He looked back at the akuma, teeth bared in angry challenge. "Come on, monster. Fight me and be done."

The akuma grinned, feral and terrifying. José squeaked. "Very well, little exorcist."

Alexei drew back and fired, again and again and again, but the akuma was expecting it this time, braced against the assault with that same menacing grin. Alexei paled, but he didn't stop firing for longer than it took to draw.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," José muttered, frantic.

The akuma chuckled, and, with only a little effort, straightened up, raised both its arms above its head - the level ones paused in their firing - and then its arms began their terrifying descent downward. At the same time, the akuma fired.

Oson covered Alexei's eyes and shut his own, and José flinched and covered his face.

But nothing hit them; a roar of agony sounded less than three feet in front of them. Alexei frowned and pushed Oson's hands off of his eyes.

The Hulk was crouched down over them, hunched over, breathing harshly and looking worse for the wear where the akuma's blades had dug deep into his back. But they were already healing - even if it looked like something was digging them back in at the same time, pentacles scattering over his flesh and disappearing just as fast in flashes of green - and the Hulk opened bright green eyes again, met Alexei's startled blue, and grinned ferally.

Then he stood up and roared to the skies, turning around to face the akuma.

"HULK NOT LET PUNY MONSTER HURT LITTLE BOY!" he bellowed.

And both his fists smashed down on the akuma. Green light blazed so bright it hurt their eyes, and then the akuma crumbled to dust, unable to retort.

"Wow," José breathed. Alexei agreed.

Then the Hulk roared again and slumped to the ground, and slowly, he deflated into the small man Alexei remembered talking to. Hard to believe they were the same person, sort of.

For a long moment, they all stared at him, unconscious on the ground. Then Alexei took a deep breath and a few steps forward, face setting firmly, jaw clenching.

"A-Alexei?" Oson worried, taking one faltering step after him.

Alexei stopped right over Bruce's prone form and looked up, glaring at the akuma, and then at them.

"Are you going to be coming?" he asked archly.

And he lifted his slingshot and went back to firing while the finders hurried over.

* * *

 _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…_  Tony stared, frozen, at the akuma braced over him, grinning.

He was going to die. He was going to die right here and  _shit,_  he hadn't called Pepper since the mission started, she was going to be so mad at him, and Rhodey didn't even know he was here, and neither did Happy, and-

"Man of Iron!"

The akuma's grin vanished as it was surrounded by green and ripped off of him, just as its hand settled over his reactor, icy-smooth and lacking any sense of human warmth. Tony breathed.

"Loki?" he managed after a moment.

"Good, you are alive," Loki replied, swiftly recovering from his moment of panic. "Do not get yourself killed while we fight, understood?"

"...Yep." Tony, too, recovered quickly and smirked, faintly amused and maybe a little in shock. "Don't die. Got it."

"Good."

He backed off, trying not to feel too relieved, and heard a groan that drew his attention. Marie was waking back up.

"I'm down for now, Loki's fine, and Hulk seems to be protecting Alexei," he said quickly, before the man could ask. Marie nodded and pushed himself back up, grimacing and stumbling only a little before rejoining the fight.

_Activate._

Tony started, hard; now really wasn't the time for shocks, and that voice in his head… Tony was sure he'd never heard it before, but it sounded familiar for some reason. Like he'd heard it in a dream.

 _Activate,_  it repeated, just a whisper in his mind. _Level two activation. You can do it._

Tony looked down, frowning. He couldn't activate, his armor was burst to shit-

But his arc reactor was still glowing bright green.

Of course. The Innocence was in his reactor, not his armor. His brow furrowed slightly.

_"Stark!"_

_Tony!_

Tony jerked his head up sharply, just in time to hastily avoid a stray bullet. He really hadn't been paying attention; he was lucky that Marie and Loki were keeping the akuma well occupied, binding it and doing their best to strangle it to death, essentially. They were failing, and the strain was showing on both their faces, while Tony ran around like a goddamn chicken with his head cut off, trying not to get in the way.

Tony hadn't realized it before - it had just seemed a retrieval mission - but they didn't have a lot of firepower on this team. Mostly him and Bruce. And both of them were out, now.

He might be out of immediate danger, but he still wasn't sure they'd get out of this, and it froze his blood better than the cold ever did.

Tony couldn't die here. He had too much debt.

Bruce couldn't die here. He was a good guy, and life was too crappy to him as it was.

Loki couldn't die here. He'd just redeemed himself.

Alexei couldn't die here. He's just a kid.

 _Activate,_  his Innocence whispered.

The words came to his mind without his prompting or his knowledge. Holding both hands out, he commanded, voice low and tight, "Merchant of Death: Machine Gun."

 _Yes,_  it whispered, satisfied.

Green light poured from his reactor like a mist, coalescing in his hands and forming a machine gun he recognized as being one of his own make. He grinned ruthlessly and aimed.

Loki caught his eye and smirked, almost a mirror image of Tony's own, and drew aside slightly. "Marie," he called out.

"I heard it," Marie returned, expression intense. "Now!"

Loki poured power into the spell with a grunt, Marie's Verse of the Saints blasted through the air, and the sound of machine gun fire covered them both.

The Level Four let out a furious scream, loud and long, but it was helpless to resist and crumbled to pieces, scattering across the destroyed landscape as if blown by wind.

* * *

When the exorcists finally got themselves together and reached Alexei, who was shooting down the rest of the akuma, guided by the finders as they watched his blind spots, he was pale as death and shaking with exhaustion, but looked ready to keep going until he dropped.

"It's over, Alexei," Tony said heavily, feeling pretty tired himself.

Alexei shot him a wide-eyed, slightly uncertain look, testiness drained by exhaustion. "...Are you certain?"

Tony smiled a little. "Yeah, kid. I'm sure."

Alexei let out a shuddering sigh of relief and released his Innocence, stumbling slightly at the same moment. "Dizzy," he murmured under his breath.

"That will happen," Marie rumbled, looking pretty tired himself. Then, "It is not much farther to the Ark door." He nodded to Oson, who looked to be the more steady of the two finders. "Carry him. Long battles with this little training are a strain on a new exorcist, and even maintaining activation is most likely still difficult for him."

It was a statement of how tired he was that Alexei didn't resist as Oson obeyed, and Tony grimaced.

Well. Hopefully it wasn't as far as it felt like it would be. He was pretty tired himself, and he wanted to talk to his Innocence. It was still talking to him.


	26. Pitch

"Grrahh!"

Clint was so done that he genuinely forgot to exclaim in surprise when Krory, blood red and alarming, hauled himself and Natasha over the edge of one of the pillars, looking completely unbothered by the strain.

"Krory!" Lavi smiled, sparing him a glance before redirecting his attention to duck an attempted blow from Jasdebi.

Natasha swung off Krory, casual as a cat, and darted off, hopping over the gaps as if nothing had occurred. When the invoice packet made a reappearance, she dodged it neatly and kept going.

Jasdebi didn't look all that surprised either, just annoyed. "Monster," he muttered.

Now, by many standards, this fight was going pretty well, considering they were fighting an immortal monster thing.

On the other hand, Jasdebi was barely looking irritated, so actually it was going pretty poorly, and most of them were wearing down badly.

Spoiled by his distance, Clint took stock.

Lenalee's leg looked dislocated, not that that was stopping her from using it, and she had a welt across one cheek, dangerously close to her eye. Blood flowed from beneath her hairline down her face, but she was doing well.

Lavi's red mark had developed into a bruise around his throat, and there was a shallow gash in his side, which he had one hand pressed over, grimacing, and Clint had to force himself not to worry.

He didn't know what was up with Krory. He probably didn't want to.

Natasha was generally beaten up, small bruises and cuts scattered across the visible parts of her body, with one prominent bruise threatening to develop into a nasty mark on her cheek.

Clint himself had rope burn down his dominant arm, and he thought one of his wrists might be sprained, which made shooting frustratingly painful.

A grin spread across Jasdebi's face, drawing Clint's attention again.

"Well. Monsters belong in the dark, don't they?"

In a flash, it was dark. Clint let out a curse that he heard echoed on several sides and also above, to his slight surprise.

He stiffened in place, suddenly unwilling to move despite knowing exactly where the boundaries of his particular pillar lay. The sound of something moving very fast through the air was his only warning before he hissed; something sharp had sliced into his cheek, leaving a gash that quickly started to drip with blood.

"What's wrong, exorcists?" Jasdebi asked gleefully. "Can't fight what you can't see?"

Other things joined the first, and the chorus of curses increased in volume as all of them suddenly had a much harder time, little sharp things flying through the air. Clint dodged what ones he could and hissed each time one hit. One narrowly missed his neck and he flinched.

Then, something a little worse: Natasha let out a pained grunt as Jasdebi, to Clint's best guess, set upon her, and then sounds of flesh hitting flesh again and again. And from what Clint could hear, Natasha wasn't doing real well.

* * *

**Natasha was not doing well. While fighting blind would normally be well within her capabilities, normally her opponent was not a creature of inhuman speed and strength, if not skill, who could see perfectly, unaffected by the illusion that robbed her of light.**

Still, that didn't mean she was completely helpless; Jasdebi yelled in pain and anger and fatigue as a bullet, only slightly lighting up the area around her, burst from her gun and exploded as it sank into him, causing what would be, to a human, most likely fatal damage.

He retaliated by sinking a fist into her stomach and then shoving her with something large, cold, and flat. Natasha took a forced step back, felt a distinct lack of support, and used the breath most would have gasped out in shock to leap back, onto the next pillar over.

"Having fun, exorcist?" Jasdebi sneered, audibly smirking.

"Not really, no," Natasha replied, feigning unconcern, heart racing. She fired three bullets to where it sounded like Jasdebi had moved, and all three found their mark, exploding on impact and sending Noah blood splattering, though the wounds didn't last more than a few minutes each, from what she'd seen.

It felt hopeless. It felt futile.

But no. Giving up wasn't a tactic in Natasha's handbook.

"Natasha?" she heard Clint call out, worried. "Everything all right?"

"A little dark for my tastes," she called back dryly, ducking a blow she would've heard coming from a mile off.

* * *

Clint smiled slightly in relief at Natasha's reply, but it transformed back to worry when he heard Lenalee gasp, presumably getting hit with a projectile.

Shit, they really needed to be able to see. What he wouldn't give for a flashlight or, hell, even a cand-

Candle. Fire.

"Lavi!" he called out, ducking another. "Fire snake!"

"Of course!" Lavi sounded relieved at the proposed solution, and a little exasperated. "Got it!"

The sound of a hammer slamming on the ground was unmissable, as was the voice that called, "Fire Seal: Hellfire and Ash!"

Sure enough, a snake of twisting plasma erupted, casting everything in an eerie glow, glinting off blood and eyes and dimly lighting everything.

Clint caught Natasha's eye almost instantly. She was plenty beaten up now, panting and wincing, but she nodded at him and he nodded back and finally started moving, adjusting his position to something more advantageous.

Lenalee was now more cut up before, and some of those gashes looked concerning, but she was still in the air and her expression was as fierce and determined as ever.

Lavi was a bit better off, but had several more cuts to add to the one on his side. His face was intent, strange in the firelight.

Krory looked completely unaffected by the sharp projectiles, and several - stars, Clint noted - were scattered about his feet. He also looked like he hadn't dared move before, wary of plunging off a cliff again.

Clint caught his eye, too, and nodded to Natasha, who was murmuring to Lenalee, having already passed by Lavi. Krory nodded in acknowledgement and moved along, graceful now that he could see.

He flinched when Jasdebi swept out his hand and caused a shock wave that nearly knocked Lavi off the pillar, but Natasha gripped him tight and he stayed steady, looking as pale as he could in this light.

"Clever," Jasdebi admitted. "But it won't help you." He smirked. "You couldn't kill me if you tried. And you have, I might remind you."

Clint didn't think he sounded so sure, though, and it made him smirk.

It would take a lot of power, but in the right circumstance, everything could be killed.

Finally reaching his position, Clint cast his gaze around quickly.

Lenalee was high in the air, jaw set and poised to dive. Natasha was braced on a pillar, gun ready and eyes narrow. Lavi was a few pillars away, hammer standing huge and high, and Krory hung back slightly, eyes intent and ready to sprint.

He glanced at Natasha, who nodded, and both of them fired.

Jasdebi realized his position a second too late and stepped back, almost off the pillar, eyes widening slightly. But he didn't get to say a word before both projectiles hit and exploded with far more force than before, coupled with Lavi's fire snake, charging on the pair-turned-one. Jasdebi screamed in pain and rage.

A scant moment after the snake dissipated, plunging them black into darkness, Clint heard Lenalee slam down hard, unnaturally so, and Jasdebi screamed again.

"No! NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN!" Jasdebi bellowed angrily, pain lacing his voice.

Wind whooshed past Clint and the spell keeping them in the dark abruptly vanished as Jasdebi screamed once more, bloodcurdling and agonized.

Clint blinked and flinched at the sudden light, then cringed again when he finally made out the scene before him.

Krory was crouched over Jasdebi, who was pinned to the ground, eyes wide and wild, trying his level best to thrash as Krory tore into him with blood-born claws, feral and animalistic.

The damage from the others was clearly visible, ribcage smashed to hell and burns all over his body, but that was overshadowed by the claws, ripping and tearing, and the mouth lowered to the grievous wound, tongue lapping.

"MONSTER!" Jasdebi screamed. "MONSTER!"

Jasdebi arched in agony, and Clint watched with detached fascination as Krory ripped at him mercilessly, strange from what he knew of the kindly man.

"MONSTER! MONSTER!"

Clint jumped and stepped back suddenly, eyes widening and head starting to jerk back and forth in alarm, as reality twisted, trees spiraling into unnatural shapes, the ground rippling like water, and monstrous silhouettes rising from random places.

"MONSTER! MONSTER!"

Jasdebi's eyes were wild, thrashing harder and harder. Krory didn't stop. Lenalee looked away, but Lavi didn't dare, eye fixed on the train wreck before him.

"Monster-"

Clint didn't see the writhing start to slow; the pillar beneath him swirled and cracked, and he yelled as he started to fall.

What he wouldn't give for a fucking grappling arrow. Suddenly the endless supply didn't seem quite so useful.

"Clint!"

Lenalee's worried call failed to draw his attention, but he did notice her streaking toward him as he grasped fruitlessly for the pillar, only scraping his fingers badly across the rock.

Then, after far too long, she was on him, arms wrapping around him and then twisting, just enough to give Clint a good view of the pointed spire Lenalee was now heading straight toward, unprotected. If she hadn't twisted, Clint would have landed right on it.

In a split second, Clint realized. They were too far down, going too fast. Lenalee wasn't going to able to pull up in time, and she knew it.

He cursed loudly and wrapped his arms around her roughly, then threw his weight the best he could, throwing them off slightly.

They didn't miss the pillar entirely - it still scraped badly across her side, leaving a deep gash that was potentially fatal in its own right - but it hadn't impaled her like it would have otherwise.

Lenalee let out a moaning, whimpered cry and pulled back up, eyes now squeezed shut. Clint's eyes were hard, teeth gritted in anger.

"Stupid," he muttered under his breath, beneath the sudden cries of Lavi, who had quickly noticed them. "Stupid, stupid…"

Lenalee leaned against him now that they were on solid ground, and he caught her as she passed out, bleeding out red from beneath his hand.

"Shit," he snapped. "Natasha!"

"Already on it," she replied, crouching beside him.

* * *

**19 Days to Invasion**


	27. Speak Now

"After the Noah realized that exorcists had begun successfully killing them, they scattered across the globe," Miranda explained to Steve and Thor, who were listening intently. "Most of our job lately has been trying to track them down so that it's not as hard when we finally invade the Black Ark."

Thor nodded seriously. "Fewer foes would be of great benefit to us," he agreed. While normally he wouldn't bother with such a thing - it was almost dishonorable - these adversaries may well be formidable enough to warrant such measures.

They had left Lan's early in the morning, just after the sun had risen. Now making their way through the streets, Allen and Miranda were explaining to Steve and Thor a little more about the Noah, though they'd covered the basics - including their individual abilities - the previous night.

"The Black Ark is the Noah's version of yours, right?" Steve clarified, looking at Allen.

Allen nodded, looking serious. "Yes. The main difference is that I - or Neah, rather - runs the White Ark, and the Millenium Earl runs the Black Ark. Neah also says that ours is more powerful - it can access the Black Ark."

"That's useful," Steve smiled. "And they can't access yours?"

Allen shook his head. "No, at least not that we know of."

"Ah." Thor said, voice ginger, and they looked over to find him pressing his hand to an invisible wall. "I believe our foes have found us."

"Not bad, alien."

Steve turned around and studied the girl in front of them carefully.

She, for all the world, looked to be nothing more than a girl, maybe about twelve years old. With blue hair, violet eyes, and pale skin, he wouldn't have thought anything of her if he hadn't been warned.

Road sucked on a lollipop, eying them thoughtfully. (With all he'd heard about her, Steve almost wondered if it was made from the souls of her enemies or something.) Then she pulled it out with a pop and flicked it away, smiling.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" she said, and the world faded to black around them. Steve took a moment to glance around; they were standing on a gift-wrapped present now - he could hear the wrapping paper crinkling under his feet - and candles dotted the empty space, while strange versions of cars and buildings faded in and out of easy view. This must be the dream world Allen and Miranda had warned them about.

"Road," Allen greeted, tipping his head forward slightly.

Steve felt a touch on his arm and glanced over; Miranda gave him a small smile and murmured, "Time Record: Recovery."

He felt a strange sensation fall over him, but he'd been expecting that. He gave her a nod and an encouraging smile, and she moved on to Thor while he looked back and focused on their apparent adversary.

It made him uncomfortable, really, but then, he'd seen enemies take more benign forms before. He'd learned not to let his guard down after the first time.

"Allen," Road returned with a nod and a bright smile. "I see you've brought friends." Tilting her head slightly, she smiled. "It's lovely to see you again, Miranda. I hope you came prepared this time?" Her smile widened, eyelids falling to half-mast. "It's no fun if no one's ready for the party."

Miranda squeaked, and Steve ran interference. "So you're Road," he said, stepping between the two of them, shield falling to his hand. "Heard a lot about you."

She smiled, apparently delighted. "Is that so? And you'd be… who? Captain America?" She laughed. "The man out of time."

Steve smiled, half-bitterly. "That's me," he agreed.

"Interesting." Her eyes flitted to Thor. "And this is the alien, of course. Thor Odinson." Road smiled at Allen. "You do make some interesting friends, don't you, Allen?"

"You could say that," the white-haired boy agreed, silver eyes flitting warily.

"But of course, that's not why I came to meet you." Her eyes focused suddenly, losing the slightly vague look they'd carried so far. They were on Allen. "You know what I want."

"You want to talk to Neah," Allen agreed. He activated, his glove disappearing into his pocket in favor of the long-fingered claw-hand and a white cloak. "But I'm afraid Neah doesn't want to talk to you."

Road threw her head back and laughed. "Of course not! No one would, after what he did." Grey melted across her face, and when Steve could see her eyes again, they were bright gold, blazing with emotion. "I don't think I'll give him a choice, though. He never did tell us why he betrayed our family." She smiled. "I think he owes us that much, don't you?"

"I don't think he owes you anything," Allen replied quietly.

Road smiled. "Of course not." A candle fell into her hand, the end sharp and pointed. "Well, we have until Tyki arrives to have fun." She glanced back at the two Avengers for the first time, eyes gleaming speculatively. "They say Asgardians are nearly immortal. What do you say I test their ability to regenerate? I'd like to see what happens when you stab their eyes out." She smiled at her candle. "Would it regrow like yours did, Allen? Like a Noah's would?"

Steve's expression turned grim and he took a step forward. "We're not going to find out," he informed the little girl seriously, hefting his shield. It looked like the fight would start any minute now…

Her smile dropped. The candles around them sharpened dramatically and turned to point at the exorcists and the Avengers. "I want to talk to Neah," she hissed, fist tightening slightly on the candle in her hand.

"No," Allen answered calmly.

The shadows started to coalesce into monsters. Lightning struck somewhere. Steve made eye contact with Thor, who nodded and hefted his hammer, eyes sharp and aware, watching Road carefully, ready for any movement. Steve kept his eyes on the candles, getting the feeling that they would move before the Noah did herself.

"I  _want_  to talk to  _Neah,"_  Road repeated, voice tightening dangerously, twisting into something close to monstrous.

"Not today," Allen repeated, shifting as well; it seemed he was sensing the same danger signs Steve was.

A small snarl ripped across Road's face, and for the briefest moment, it shifted into something other, something terrifying and inhuman, with wrinkled coal skin and insane supernova eyes, fanged and bony. But in half a second, it had changed back, just a snarling little girl with grey skin and gold eyes.

"Neah is a traitor to our family!" She took a step forward. The candles trembled. "Tell me why!"

Allen's face tightened; Steve wondered what the Fourteenth had said - if he'd said anything. He wondered what you did say, when you turned your back on your family because they were trying to exterminate the human race.

It seemed something of an unusual situation.

"N-" Allen started.

Then the candles flew and he was forced to duck, shielding himself with his white cloak, while Thor swung, knocking his candles away in one fell swoop, and Steve lunged for Miranda, who he'd been keeping a careful eye on, and blocked the candles off both of them with his shield.

 _"Let me talk to Neah!"_  Road screamed, just out of sight, and Steve braced himself-

"Road. Calm down."

Steve glanced warily over the rim of his shield, feeling Miranda shaking beside him.

There was a door that hadn't been there before, or maybe he just hadn't noticed it. A man with grey skin and gold eyes just like Road, wearing a top hat and a serious look, was standing in front of Road, looking at her.

In just the seconds since he'd spoken, Road had calmed down substantially. Now no longer looking insane, merely extremely frustrated, she glared at the man, who must be Tyki. "Tyki-"

"I know," he interrupted, looking solemn. "But this won't work, Road. You'll have to take your chance another time." He nodded at the door. "Go tell the Earl that our location is compromised. I told him this place was too easy to find."

Road huffed and turned. Then she glanced over her shoulder, gold eyes disdainful. "You're lucky, Steve," she said lightly. "I would have chosen you to play with. Now I might have to settle for one of your teammates instead."

Steve felt a slight chill, and then she was gone, walking through the door, and the world was back to normal.

Tyki sighed and turned around, smiling at them tiredly with a cigarette between his fingers, posture casual.

"I'm sorry about Road," he apologized lightly. "She's been a little stressed lately." He raised an eyebrow. "Shall we begin?"

Thor's response was to aim a powerful bolt of lightning at the man. It didn't touch him, going straight through to hit the road beneath his feet, and he smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."


	28. A Wave of Greeting

"Come on, come on," complained Timothy, tugging Alexei forward.

Alexei stumbled along a step behind, rubbing one eye tiredly and scowling at him. "What? What am I coming to?"

Timothy ignored him.

Alexei had woken up in the infirmary the previous day, only to be immediately launched back into activity.

He'd met several… interesting people, like Krory the unconscious vampire-man, Lenalee the nice bleeding girl, Komui the sister-complex (according to Tony, anyway, and Alexei wasn't sure how much to trust his judgement), and Johnny, who'd measured him for a uniform and taken his Innocence to forge into a 'proper weapon'.

The whole thing made Alexei nervous. He liked his slingshot, and he'd been depending on it for a long time now. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they turned it into something else.

Alexei had also met Timothy then, when he came in with the lady General - General Nyne, Alexei thought - when she came to talk to Komui.

The younger boy took an immediate interest in him; apparently all of the other exorcists were several years older, at least. And then, in a whirlwind of talking that Alexei couldn't quite follow, he found himself being given a tour of the ridiculously big building that was the Black Order Headquarters, Timothy talking at him happily.

That little stunt had earned him another night in the infirmary. Come to think of it, he'd been alone when Timothy had come and dragged him out of bed…

"Finally!" Timothy declared, bouncing impatiently, eyes sparkling. He jerked open a door Alexei thought led to the mess hall, and then shoved him in, grinning.

Alexei stumbled in and would have turned to scowl at Timothy, but he was too busy gaping.

"There you are, Alexei," Lenalee said to him, smiling warmly and leaning heavily on Komui, who beamed at him. She held out a coffee mug with his name on it, and he stared at her. "Here, this is for you." She chuckled. "Even if you're a little young for coffee. It's part of your welcome to the Order."

 _Welcome Alexei Durov!_  read the large banner stretched across the hall, adding what Lenalee wasn't saying: This party was for him.

And it looked like, well, just about everyone was there, the hall was so crowded. He could see Krory smiling groggily, looking ready to fall over any moment, and Lavi pinched the man awake every few seconds, giving Alexei a grin when he caught his eye, a bandage wrapped around his neck.

Loki smiled at him slightly and raised an unlabeled mug in a toast, and Natasha, beside him, nodded, bruises visible past little band-aids on her face. Clint waved with another grin, and Tony, sitting stiffly, did the same, smirking slightly.

Then there were the people he didn't even know - people in tan jackets or labcoats, smiling at him, welcoming him.

He smiled back and took the mug.

* * *

Coulson cast a careful eye over the crowd and quickly found the man he was looking for, staying back but watching the proceedings with a slight smile.

He approached him, weaving swiftly and easily through the crowd. As soon as he was within range, he asked,

"Enjoying yourself?"

Link glanced at him, faintly surprised, and then let his lips curl in a small smirk. "It could be worse. A new exorcist joining the Order is always a happy occasion."

Coulson 'hm'ed; that was a bit of a surprise. From Allen and Lavi's reactions to Tony, and from everything he'd found out and seen since, he would have thought it was quite the opposite. "Is that so?"

"Of course." Turning to face him more completely, Link raised a surprised eyebrow. "The exorcists tend to view each other as family, you know, perhaps because so few of them have any of their own. They may not always act like it, but they're quite close."

A quiet 'Don't call me by my first name!' could be heard.

"Even with everything that happens," Coulson said thoughtfully, thinking of the Avengers. How would they react to a new member? "They don't worry?"

"Naturally they worry," Link replied, with a bitter smile. "They all worry, and with good reason." He nodded at Alexei, being dragged back and forth by a chattering Timothy. "That one is even more unfortunate than most; I hope Allen lives up to General Cross' expectations."

Coulson cast him a startled look. "I would have thought Allen was a little young to take an apprentice," he said neutrally. When he was seventeen, he was just putting the finishing touches on his Captain America card collection.

Link shrugged. "I believe so, but General Cross was adamant that he could handle it. And it doesn't pay to underestimate Walker." A dry smirk crossed his face. "Then again, who am I to judge? He's only a few years younger than I am, after all."

That, Coulson acknowledged, glancing at the young man beside him, was true. Link looked like he wouldn't even quite be out of college yet, if he'd been a normal man.

But enough of that; brooding was not going to get Coulson anywhere. And he was tired of being useless. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I gathered as much." Link glanced at him, thoughtful. "What is it?"

Coulson was looking at him head-on, face serious. Link, in return, gave him his full attention.

"I heard that you formerly worked for an organization that gave you abilities which put you only slightly below the exorcists."

Link inclined his head slightly, eyes turning suspicious. "That… is true, yes."

"I'm not used to being a liability," Coulson said bluntly, meeting Link's eyes. "And I don't plan to start becoming used to it. I wanted to ask if you would teach me."

Link gave him an amused look, carefully concealing his true thoughts on the matter. "Don't you spend your days babysitting superheroes?"

"I do," Coulson agreed. "But I've never been a liability."

Link's amused look turned thoughtful. Serious again, he repeated, "You spend your days babysitting superheroes." Then, head tilting slightly to regard Coulson, he continued, "You should know how much it takes for us regular humans to so much as approach their level."

"I know."

"Hm." Link studied him for a few more moments. "It's against regulations… but I don't believe there are any actual rules against it." A slight smile appeared on his face. "Find me after dinner and I'll show you some of the earlier things I learned. We'll see how it goes from there."

Coulson inclined his head in return. "Thank you."

Link nodded at him and vanished into the crowd in a flick of braided blond hair.

"Magic, hm? That would have been useful."

Coulson was utterly unsurprised when Natasha slid out of the crowd, eying him thoughtfully.

"You know you aren't a liability, don't you?" she continued, frowning.

"I feel like one," Coulson admitted; like Natasha, he wasn't used to watching so many of his colleagues die on a mission, and he'd watched more crumble to dust on just the last mission than he'd seen gunned down in the last year. And while he was good at pretending to be unaffected, it was frightening to watch those monsters loom over him and know he couldn't do a thing about it. "Didn't you?"

"No," Natasha denied, shaking her head. "Not really. Helpless, at times, but never like a liability." Coulson glanced up, slightly surprised at her honesty, in time to see a cold smirk curl her lips. "I suppose, though, that I never really thought about it." The smirk turned into a frown. "Perhaps it just… never occurred to me that I  _could_  be a liability."

Despite her best efforts, Natasha looked unsettled. Coulson pretended not to notice.

"Learning magic won't bring me up to the level of an exorcist," Coulson told her, hands folded behind his back, eyes on the floor and brow furrowed. "It won't even bring me up to the level of a CROW. But it'll help."

"I suppose it will," Natasha agreed. "Like I said, it certainly would have been useful."

Coulson wondered how much Natasha had hated her time as a finder. He thought, possibly quite a bit.

But she was used to it, he knew.

* * *

"Clint, Bruce."

Both men looked up, slightly startled, to find Komui waving at them, sister stationed safely at a table.

"Come here, won't you?" Komui continued, eyes sparkling with false brightness.

Clint, looking slightly skeptical, slowly stood up, Bruce following a moment later.

"General Cross has agreed to take you with him on his newest mission," Komui said brightly, dragging them toward the door now that he'd caught them. "You should be pleased!"

"I don't feel pleased," Clint muttered, grimacing; he'd never been fond of missions placed close together, and his mildly strained wrist still ached. "So what's up?" That didn't mean he wasn't used to them.

"A Noah sighting and another akuma nest!" Komui said happily. "Nice and simple - most of our jobs lately have been. Akuma nests are good training for the Ark battle, you see." Then, slightly more seriously, he glanced back at them, slowing down as they approached his office. "I apologize for sending you on missions so close together, but you're two of the least injured, and Cross was insisting." He frowned. "I can't imagine why…" He seemed suddenly suspicious. Then he shook his head. "Anyway, missions have been much closer together lately than they are usually, but it can't be helped - the fewer akuma and Noah we have to deal with in the battle, the better."

"That's true," Bruce agreed, mulling over the strategics of that in his mind. "Especially with how many there seem to be." It seemed like there were too many to count, and quite possibly there were.

Komui smiled at him and nodded, seriousness gone. He threw open the door and beamed. "I found them, General Cross!"

"About time," the man inside complained, turning to look at them carelessly, long red hair half-covering his face but not obscuring the cigarette in his mouth. "So you're the dumbasses who volunteered to join the Order, huh?"


	29. Void Space

The fight was not going as Allen had hoped.

They'd been fighting for a while, Steve doing double-duty guarding Miranda, and they were starting to wear out, but Tyki looked completely unaffected, though thanks to Miranda's Innocence, he was the only one with any injuries at all. Though he'd been the one to calm Road down, his gold eyes flashed with something angry and lethal.

Tyki grunted as Steve's shield caught him in the stomach and threw him back through a wall, and then paused just after emerging. He held out a hand and Allen's eyes narrowed.

"Teez!" Tyki commanded.

Dark violet butterflies started to pour from his sleeve, taking to the air and swiftly forming an ominous cloud of flesh-eating mania.

"Watch out!" Allen warned a very confused Steve. "Tyki's Teez eat human flesh."

Steve sighed. "Of course they do." He looked at Thor. "Thor, you and Allen handle Tyki Mikk! I'll take the Teez!"

"Of course, Captain," Thor said agreeably, aiming a swift hammer strike at Tyki, who blocked it with a painful grimace.

"Of course," echoed Allen, intent on his foe.

Thor kicked out at Tyki then, and Tyki tried to let the blow slip through him before he failed, owing to Thor being an alien and therefore not of this world. He grunted and hit Thor hard enough to send him flying into a building, which half-crumbled on top of him. Allen's eyes widened slightly, and then he sent Crown Belt flying toward Tyki and pinned him to the ground.

Tyki smirked at him and let himself fall, hanging by his wrists, and Thor burst from the rubble, slightly dusty and scraped but ultimately no worse for the wear.

"You've lost your touch, cheating boy," Tyki said, voice unhindered by the interceding asphalt. "This used to be a challenge."

"I'm sorry you're dissatisfied," Allen said dryly, and he jerked Crown Belt up so that Tyki was pulled out of the ground. Tyki took advantage of this and flipped, kicking Allen soundly in the head and landing behind him as Crown Belt released reflexively.

"A worthy opponent," Thor said gravely. He raised his hammer, and Tyki looked slightly apprehensive. Lightning struck the hammer, so Allen figured it was well earned. "I will respond appropriately!"

Correctly guessing that lightning would pass through Tyki, Thor lunged forward and slammed the electrified hammer into Tyki, which proved much more effective.

Tyki screamed in pain and rage and several Teez flew at Thor, who electrocuted them all before they could reach him.

Allen smiled at Thor. "That worked really well. I'll have to suggest it to Lavi sometime."

Thor's eyes lit up, and Allen started to let out a laugh, which was cut off abruptly when Tyki was suddenly in front of him, hitting him hard. Very hard.

As in, he flew through the wall behind him. It was unpleasant.

It was a few moments before Allen managed to sit up, head spinning. He grimaced and felt the back of his head, which was warm and wet with blood. As was his glove, now.

He shook his head, then winced, because that was a mistake. Then he stumbled up and out of the wreckage of the wall.

"Alright there, Allen?" Steve called out, sparing him a glance.

Allen nodded distractedly, then winced again. He'd always hated head wounds. He sighed with relief as it was sapped away, taking the blood with it, for now.

"Let's switch," he suggested, grimacing; Steve seemed to be having trouble with the Teez, and he'd probably handle Tyki much better. And Allen knew very well how to handle flesh-eating butterflies.

Steve nodded agreeably and went for Tyki, who grimaced and avoided the blow Steve aimed with his shield. Allen, meanwhile, set his sights on the butterflies and focused.

* * *

Miranda was starting to shake with exhaustion, and Allen was back in the fight with Tyki, all the Teez now gone.

Tyki himself was starting to look tired, now, and Allen wondered why he was still there.

Perhaps because they weren't doing nearly as well as they could; Allen knew for a fact that Thor was in for at least one nasty injury when Miranda let their time go, and they were all getting more tired by the moment - Miranda's Time Recovery couldn't prevent that.

Tyki pushed off Steve's shield at the next blow and sprang back a few feet. Then he smirked, eyes going from Allen on one side of him to Steve and Thor on the other.

"Reject," he commanded.

Allen's eyes widened and shot to the two others, but then there was only blackness where he had been able to see them moments before.

"Now, cheating boy," Tyki continued, thoroughly pleased with himself as he walked away from the void he'd created. "We can talk." A cold smirk crossed his face. "You see, I would also very much like to speak to Neah."

Of course he would. Why not?

* * *

There was no air. No light. Nothing but crushing pressure and the barest outline of Thor, teeth gritted as he fell to his knees, hunched over.

Steve was on his knees, too, and struggling not to collapse to the ground entirely.

What had Tyki done? Steve couldn't breathe. It was hard to move. Harder to stand - Steve wasn't even sure he could. It felt almost like he had before the serum, when every breath was a struggle and he was too sick to get out of bed.

He gritted his teeth. He could do this. He hadn't lost the will that had kept him going then. There was no way.

But what was he supposed to do? He certainly couldn't fight like this. A mouse could knock him over right now. And Tyki was on a whole other level.

He couldn't breathe, and for the first time in years, he was sure that he was going to die right here, struggling for his next breath.

He was going to die and leave Thor to die with him, leave Allen and Miranda to fight Tyki alone. He was going to leave the Avengers to finish this mission without him, and leave the exorcists to fight their war.

He'd never see Peggy, old and feeble, again. Nor Pepper, exasperated with Tony and shaking her head fondly, smiling at him in commiseration. Not Coulson, looking at him with undisguised admiration.

He'd never fight side by side with the other Avengers - back to back with Clint, or acting as ground support for Tony, or backup for Natasha. He'd never laugh with them or shake his head at their strange references that he never quite understood.

He was going to fail. He was going to fail at the one thing he'd been determined to do, no matter what, since he was a kid.

No.

Steve slammed his shield into the ground and forced himself to stand.

"Not today," he growled.


	30. Brothers in Arms

"My answer hasn't changed," Allen said, carefully neutral. "Neah doesn't want to talk to you."

As it turned out, killing almost everyone in your family wasn't a huge deal when they could reincarnate. They'd been upset with Neah, but not enough to want him dead. Hence why Tyki, Road, Jasdebi, etc. had been so dead set on keeping Apocryphos away from them.

 ** _It's foolish,_**  Neah muttered inside Allen's mind.  ** _They're fools._**

 _They're your family,_  Allen thought back, half-wistfully.

 **Mana _was my family,_**  Neah retorted back, with enough force to make Allen wince even as he ducked Tyki's strike.  ** _Pay attention. I don't want to have to come out because of_ your  _foolishness._**

Fair enough. Allen refocused and blocked Tyki's newest strike, dead-set silver meeting rage-hot gold.

"Apologies, cheating boy," Tyki gritted out with a menacing smile. "He doesn't have a  _choice."_  His eyes flashed furious molten metal. "If he will not come out himself, I will  _force him out."_

Allen gritted his teeth, taking a wary step back. Silver eyes flashed around the street, taking in the situation. It wasn't good.

Miranda was shaking, but Allen knew she could keep going for much longer if she had to; still, she was looking between the black mass Steve and Thor were trapped in, Allen, and Tyki with wide, worried eyes, biting her lip anxiously. Allen took a moment to meet them and gave her a reassuring smile.

They would be fine.

He saw her relax slightly and looked back to Tyki, glancing at the atmospheric Reject himself. He has to admit he was worried; when Allen had been trapped in there, he'd only been able to escape because he'd gone critical, and the sheer force of his Innocence had blown Tyki away.

He'd just have to believe that they would be okay.

Allen returned his glare to cold-smirking Tyki, who lunged forward. Allen struck out, long black claws aiming to score a hit across Tyki's chest, but he batted it aside like a kitten's paw and aimed to plunge his hand into Allen's abdomen.

Allen twisted to one side just in time and commanded, "Crown Edge!"

The long-range attack did its job. While not a single hit landed, Tyki was kept busy enough avoiding it that Allen had time to draw his sword, something he hadn't done already because he'd seen how uncomfortable it had made Steve the first time. Sometimes he forgot how unsettling some people found his weapon.

 _Not your fault,_  Crown Clown murmured, seemingly out of habit.

 ** _Overreacting,_**  Neah countered.  ** _Don't get distracted, grasshopper._**

Allen acknowledged this silently and swung at Tyki, who was forced to duck low under the massive blade. Then Allen hissed as a hard kick hit his left foot and he was destabilized, long enough for Tyki to appear in front of him, disarm him, and throw him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him and smacking his head hard against the broken concrete, making him see stars.

"Allen!" Allen heard as he struggled for breath. Tyki was too damn heavy, and he was sitting on him - or kneeling, really, leering down at him with a too-triumphant look, with a hand plunged in his chest and a knee on his belly. Allen squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a squeeze on his heart.

 _Damn…_  he whispered in his mind, mind scrambling.

 ** _Allen!_**  Even Neah sounded slightly panicked. Right, if Allen died, he wouldn't have a body.

Then the weight was gone and Allen opened his eyes again, forcing himself up, panting slightly. He took in the sight before him and his eyes widened.

Apparently, they'd been much closer to Miranda than he'd realized, a thought that made him immensely uncomfortable; what if she'd been caught in the crossfire?

Then again, this was almost certainly worse. Miranda was on top of Tyki, teary-eyed and panicked, but struggling to pin him down, and only still in place because of the Noah male's surprise. "Leave... Allen... Alone!" she forced out, voice shaking.

Moments later, even as Allen was scrambling up, Tyki recovered and flipped them. Miranda froze, staring at Tyki with wide eyes, and Tyki, not even breathless, smirked down at her. "Sorry about this, sweetheart."

And then he knocked her out by swiftly banging her head off the hard road.

She didn't even whimper.

Allen managed to get his sword and then to sink it deep into Tyki's side. This resulted in a moment when both of them were frozen as the pain sank in. Tyki's eyes were shut tight, teeth gritted, hand clutching at his chest; he'd developed a resistance to Allen's attack after the first time, but it still hurt like hell, and he couldn't quite catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Allen was suffering the consequences of Miranda's unconsciousness. The head wound he'd been dreading returned with a vengeance, and he winced painfully as blood began trickling down his head again, along with a cloying dizziness and any number of cuts and bruises, and what he thought felt like a few cracked ribs.

* * *

Steve gasped aloud as, abruptly, unexpectedly, the injuries he'd previous obtained and nearly forgotten about returned. The sudden pain in his leg nearly sent him tumbling down to the ground, but he forced himself to steady, even as he struggled for the breath he needed to get himself and Thor out of there.

Beside him, he heard a quiet groan, and Thor, side bleeding badly, finally collapsed to the ground entirely, unconscious. Steve himself couldn't quite stand straight, and he was sore all over, still unable to get air and growing dizzy. He gritted his teeth and raised his shield.

"I won't let this end it," he muttered resolutely, and the shield glowed bright green, sending power surging up his arm and down into his heart and lungs. Steve paused, bracing himself, and then slammed the shield into the ground with all the strength in his oxygen-deprived body.

Green erupted from the point of contact and surged outward just as the black space faltered, and the empty space burst like a giant bubble, exploding outward.

Steve collapsed to the ground, dizzy now with the sudden ability to breathe, panting, and barely able to see straight, staring dazedly at a white-haired boy who faced down a grey-skinned man, pale with pain and eyes burning with anger.

He'd get up and help in a minute. Just a minute…

* * *

Allen let out a short breath of relief when the Reject bubble collapsed; one of them must have found a way to get out. Steve, by the looks of it, even if he appeared barely conscious.

"Clearly," Tyki panted, forcing himself to straighten, "that technique is not nearly as foolproof as it used to be."

"Not quite," Allen agreed, and, returning his sword to its more normal form, shot forward, carefully compensating for the rush in his head and rapidly adjusting balance.

But maybe not well enough, because Tyki recovered quickly and grabbed him by the neck with speed boosted by his stirring Noah - Allen could see it in the insanity in his eyes. But Tyki was still the one in control.

"You've tested my patience enough for today, cheating boy," Tyki said quietly, using his left hand to press Allen's head into the hard wall, tightening threateningly around his throat. With the other, he grabbed Allen's left shoulder in a deceptively gentle grip. "Neah. Come out, or the cheating boy dies."

Behind him, Steve's eyes glinted with recognition, and he started to struggle to his feet. But at this rate, he'd be far too slow.

The inside of Allen's head was echoingly silent, and he met Tyki's gaze with a glare, squinting against the pain, right hand tugging uselessly at the hand at his throat.

The hand tightened further, and Allen's eyes shut as his air supply was choked off entirely, a soft snarl crossing his face.

"I'm not joking," Tyki said coldly. No response. "Very well, then. I'll help you along."

This time, it was the right hand that tightened, and then a blinding pain shot through Allen's whole body - a pain he'd felt only once before.

Allen would have screamed if the air could have escaped, but he didn't even have a word for the sound he made as an agonized glow shot from his left arm as it struggled against the Dark Matter trying, once again, to destroy it.

It hurt. God, it hurt. Not again, not again, not Crown Clown, stop, no, damn it, he couldn't fail, he couldn't die, he had to fight-

_Arghh!_

**_Shit,_  Allen!**

Tyki smirked, self-satisfied, as grey flooded Allen's skin and the boy's eyes opened, honey gold, with a glare to boil metal.

It didn't fade even as a superhumanly strong fist slammed hard into him, driving him backwards off the white-haired, grey-skinned boy. The blow, though, was immediately followed by another: a red, white, blue, and green shield slammed into his side, sending him stumbling, leaving behind a panting, swaying Steve, jaw set and eyes burning with determination.

"You alright?" Steve asked after a moment, still breathing heavily, and then he turned to look at Allen, who was shaking and clutching at his shoulder, teeth gritted. Then he paused. "...Allen?"

"Not right now," Neah gritted out, finally opening his eyes again and taking a few stuttering steps forward. Damn, but that hurt. He'd have to make sure not to let the Innocence get this damaged again.

He set his searing glare on the other Noah, a scowl on his lips. Tyki smirked at him.

"Finally," the older Noah murmured, not straightening out of his battle stance. "Ready to talk at last, little brother?"

Neah's scowl deepened into a snarl, and he released the aching Innocence to lunge forward in an ill-advised, but vicious attack, aided by Steve and his shield.

"Allen told you," Neah sniped back, golden glare uncompromising. "I won't talk with any of you."

Tyki tried his level best to avoid the blows, but the pain in his chest wouldn't let him, and Neah's speed and strength were both a level above Allen's. Besides that, his regeneration was already healing the ribs and head wound, if not the broken Innocence. "So cruel, Neah," Tyki murmured, smirking coldly when it made Neah wince with a different sort of pain. "All I want is to know why you left."

"You know why I left," Neah returned, not letting himself shake.

Even not quite bonded to him, Crown Clown's pain tore deep into his chest, making his breath come hard and clouding his mind, to say nothing of how the arm itself felt, half-broken and definitely immovable. He hoped, distantly, that Komui would be able to fix it; Allen would be a mess without his Innocence.

And Mana would hate that, so Neah couldn't let that happen.

"You're not welcome here, Tyki," Steve added, glancing between the two Noah with a cautious wariness that Neah had to admit was well warranted.

Tyki heaved a heavy sigh, stumbling back a little, hand still pressed to his chest. "I suppose not." He focused on Neah and smirked, but it was sad this time, not cold or angry. "I really only wanted to say one thing, anyway." His expression softened, and Neah took a step back, face disbelieving. "We still want you back, little brother."

Neah's eyes widened in shock, and Tyki smiled bitterly before turning and vanishing into a door that appeared for him only briefly before vanishing again. Neah was left, staring and swaying, clutching at his arm, hurting and confused and feeling a lot younger than he really was.


	31. A Step Too Far

When Neah took control of his body, Allen couldn't see through his eyes or listen through his ears or even dwell within his mindscape as Neah could.

Instead, there was only an encroaching darkness, suffocating and lonely. It was a struggle for Allen to keep himself calm in there, and not panic and thrash as he wished to. Neah wouldn't hurt him. He'd promised. There would be no forgetting who he was this time.

Still, it was hard to forget that he'd fought to keep himself, his name and his body, in this same place, not more than a few months ago.

It seemed to take forever - it always did - but eventually, listening carefully to the all-consuming silence, Allen could make out just a little of what was happening outside, loyally passed on by his Innocence.

_"Calm down, Neah!"_

Allen's breath hitched. Not again.

It was no secret to him that Neah was on the Order's side only for Allen, only for Mana. The man was in no way obliged to get along with Allen's friends, and in the end, for all his rebellion, Neah was still a Noah.

Even more than that, Allen knew that Neah blamed, well, everyone, for how things had turned out. For Mana's insanity, for Allen - he looked at a world that had hurt them, and hurt it right back.

Tenfold, Allen thought, but Neah would disagree.

Silence, deafening silence, blocking out-

_"...sort out your priorities now, before it's too la… ...y'll take everything and laug…"_

_"...akes you say that?"_

_No, don't listen._

Allen's breath hitched again.

Neah was not 'destruction' in only the physical sense, and when the mood struck him, when he was hurting just enough, he could tear a man down with the best of them. It was one of the reasons Allen didn't like letting Neah take control - after Mana's death, Neah was always hurting, often angry, and he wasn't as good at hiding it as Allen was.

Silently, Allen thanked whoever could possibly be listening that it was Steve, and not someone more vulnerable, Lenalee or Kanda or Bruce-

_"...reful, the Noah will make them all disappear, just like Bucky Barnes!"_

_"Captain? What's going o- is that N-Neah?"_

Allen flinched. Yes, the last time Neah had ripped into someone like this, it had been Miranda. And it hadn't been pretty. Allen hadn't been able to look her in the eye for weeks.

But Allen was still swimming in darkness, and Steve would be okay, because Neah knew how much these people meant to Allen and that meant he wouldn't hurt them too badly, not again, not after the first time.

He'd come close with Miranda, but it wasn't as bad as that first time - the time with Lenalee. That… that had been bad.

_"...ptain, will end up just like me and Allen, nothing more than a broken doll, all alone, pretending to live! You'll watch your friends pass you by, oh so fragile, an…"_

No. Steve hadn't done anything to deserve this. Allen didn't know what had set Neah off, precisely, but Steve couldn't deserve this.

Allen didn't want this.

He closed his eyes, not that it made a difference when there wasn't any light, and took a deep breath, not that it made a difference when there wasn't any air, and let out a frustrated scream - not that it made a difference when there wasn't any sound.

_"...an you defend them? Captain? They look to you for leadersh…"_

_"...do what I can!"_

Steve sounded like he was in pain. Had Neah hurt him? He'd done that before...

_"Don't fool yourself! You can't do a thing, not against us! You know i…"_

The sound faded out again, and Allen struggled to listen. After a long time, he managed to make out a little more, eyes wide and unseen.

_"...here wer… ...you, Captain, when… ...here were you, when Tony… ...you're useless, a man out of your time, and while you've heard it all before, Captain, you can't keep up."_

_"I know! I know that!"_

Then Allen lost it again, his breath coming quick and worried. Steve sounded… he didn't sound happy.

_"...hut up! You don't know anything! You have no idea how badly you've failed, how broken your people are… ...o you want me to tell you?"_

Allen's breath caught in his chest - no - and he reached up and pulled, and with an unpleasant jerk and a nauseating twist, he surfaced like a drowning man, and opened his eyes to see a wary Steve in front of a frightened Miranda, shield held tight and ready to be raised if needed.

Allen's breath came sharp and fast, eyes wide and raw with pain, already starting to step back. He'd done it again. He'd messed up and Steve's eyes were wide and slightly wild, an almost imperceptible shake making the shield wobble, and Miranda with her hands fisted against herself, anxiety unmistakable.

"Sorry," Allen whispered, stepping back until he could feel his back pressing against the brick wall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I didn't mean for that to happen."

If he'd been more careful- If he hadn't let Tyki so close- If he'd been more careful with Neah-

If. If. If.

'If' was useless. He'd been stupid, he'd been weak, and Neah had had to come out to keep him safe, and then- then he'd done this.

Allen had done this.

Allen's shoulder hurt, it hurt like hell and he couldn't feel his fingers and he could see it shaking, but he deserved it. He deserved it.

Allen messed up again.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

Steve lowered his shield.

"Allen," he said, with undisguised relief. "You're back."

* * *

Allen was very quiet on the walk back.

Steve didn't mind this so much; it gave him a chance to order his scrambled brain. His leg ached sharply as he supported Thor from one side, Allen taking the other despite his bad arm, and Miranda went on to warn Lan.

So that was Neah.

It… he... had been unsettling, to say the least. The disgust, the rage, the cold - none of it sat quite right on Allen's features, and the contrast had been almost immediately noticeable.

Once he started talking.

Steve had never noticed before, but Allen, for all his friendliness, was very reserved. Then there was Neah, with raw pain and suppressed rage bare on his face, in his voice, and it didn't sit right.

And the viciousness. Steve's heart still thudded, remembering some of the things he said - some of the things he knew were true, that he hated to think about, and that never failed to creep up on him during long nights awake.

Worse was Allen afterward, the wide-eyed look he had, and the way he'd instantly picked up on the injuries Steve hadn't had before - the cracked wrist and his aching shoulder, from where Neah had grabbed him and thrown him into a wall in his half-mad - there was no other way of describing the look he'd had - frenzy. The way his eyes had dimmed with guilt, with uneasiness, and he'd almost instantly withdrawn, and Steve… hadn't stopped him.

So that was Neah.

* * *

They made it back to Lan's with that same silence, and she picked up on the unspoken tension easily. Miranda was already asleep, what wounds she had patched up, and the woman took Steve and Thor aside while sending Allen to go to sleep, seeing as she couldn't do anything about his badly-damaged Innocence.

They'd have to wait for Thor to wake up, but they'd return to the Order as soon as they could.

Meanwhile, Steve had a lot to think about.


	32. Keep Them Close

Clint reminded himself again that he was used to silences. It didn't help.

They were on the train, the destination being within that distance, and Cross seemed to be watching the tower that was the Black Order headquarters intently. Waiting for it to disappear, Clint thought suddenly.

His gaze suddenly sharpened; Cross might look like a drunkard, but, well, he would bet you didn't get to be a general by being lazy, and he didn't know how long Cross had survived being an exorcist, but he would bet it had been a long damn time.

Bruce, beside him, looked moderately uncomfortable, but he always looked moderately uncomfortable in the presence of strangers, and every once in a while he glanced out where Cross was looking, so Clint thought he might be on the same track as him.

Then, as Clint had expected, the tower vanished from sight, and Cross started to talk.

"I know about Stark's Innocence."

Well. That wasn't exactly the worst thing he could have said, but it came pretty close.

"What are you going to do about it?" Clint shot back without missing a beat, leaning forward slightly, brow furrowed and eyes set on Cross.

He had his bow with him, and his quiver. It was too point-blank for a shot, but Clint had stabbed people with arrows before. The real trouble would be getting away with it-

Cross extinguished his cigarette and tilted his head slightly so that his face, eyes half lidded, with a deep frown on his lips, was clearly visible.

"Fuck if I care," he said bluntly. "As long as Central doesn't find out, he's only slightly more screwed than the rest of you, which is a damn sight less screwed than the rest of us." His eyes flashed. "I'm only going to tell you once. Don't let Central find out."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "What do you care?" he asked with interest. Cross really didn't seem the type.

Cross snorted. "I don't. But if Stark gets found out, then Central's gonna want to know why they didn't find out sooner." His mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. Clint wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't so observant.

"And they'll look for a scapegoat," Bruce said quietly, voice tinted with realization.

Cross grunted. "That's right. And my stupid apprentice'll try to get the heat off you, which means it'll go straight to him." Briefly, Clint recalled the scowling face of Allen talking about Cross and wondered. As he did, Cross scowled. "And if that happens, someone's gonna get the the wrong end of Judgement." His hand drifted to his gun.

"Central seems to be at the root of a lot of the Order's problems," Bruce said carefully, gaze steady on the general.

Cross shot him a sharp look, and then sat back slightly, hand lingering on Judgement. "You got that right. As bad as the Noah sometimes."

"Anything we should know?" Clint prompted, flexing his fingers and wishing he could draw his bow. But no, they were too far away even for him.

Cross studied him.

"Watch out for Leverrier," he said finally. "He's got his own agenda, and even I don't know what it is - but his family has been in power for a long damn time. And they've got no regard for the lives of exorcists. As far as they're concerned, we're just tools." Another sharp look. "If word ever gets out, that's going to include Stark."

Clint's eyes darkened, and Bruce took a deep breath and let it out, clearing the green from his eyes. Cross didn't even flinch.

"They tied the Lee girl down when she was eight years old," he added, now looking out the window with a dark expression Clint could only half see. "Because she had a nervous breakdown and tried to run away. So don't underestimate them."

Clint forced himself to plaster on a smirk. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said through gritted teeth. This was why he didn't like government.

Bruce's eyes were green, but he was letting them be, which was unusual and said a lot for how angry he was. It was enough for Cross to shoot a lightning quick glance at Clint to check that he still looked unconcerned, but he didn't make a move, which Clint appreciated.

"I heard you went missing for a while," Clint said finally. "Why?"

Cross was silent for a long time. Clint had just considered the possibility that he had ignored the question when he answered gruffly,

"It was practical at the time." At Clint's prompting look, he scowled but still expanded, "Central was on my ass, as usual. The Noah were fucking everywhere, and Neah was getting ready to come out." His eyes had darkened again, Clint noted with interest. "Then there was fucking Apocryphos running wild. Problems everywhere, and I couldn't solve them without going off the grid for a bit."

"Apocryphos?" Bruce questioned. Cross ignored him and added offhandedly,

"Allen yelled at me when I got back, though. Even cried some, the little brat. That was inconvenient."

Clint thought that Cross' relationship with his apprentice was strange and disturbing.

"Anyway." Cross' voice dragged the conversation back to its original track. "Keep your secrets close and don't let Stark get found out. You don't have to keep it for a real long time, but if they find out…" He dipped his head, so that Clint couldn't see his face. "The consequences might not end when the war does, you understand me?"

Clint understood him. Clint understood him perfectly.

"We're here," Bruce said quietly, eyes outside and actually watching.

"Right." Cross stood up and stretched, as carefree as if he hadn't just revealed a pretty ominous post-war fate for himself and several others, including more than one kid. He sent a glance back, slinging his gun against his shoulder. "If there's a Noah there, and there will be, they're mine. If you die, I'm going to spit on your body and laugh over your grave."

Ah. Yes, Clint had the feeling that that was a lot more like Cross.

* * *

**18 Days to Invasion**


	33. Half Trance

It was morning. Miranda and Thor had both recovered fine, to Steve's relief, leaving Miranda a little dizzy but otherwise intact, and Thor still badly cut but perfectly capable of movement, bandaged up just fine. Steve, meanwhile, only had the slightest remnant of a limp, and some developing bruises from where Neah had squeezed his throat a little too hard. His wrist was a little sore, but that was all. (Neah might take some getting used to.)

Allen, on the other hand, wasn't waking up.

Miranda was fretting anxiously by Steve's side, Thor frowning in worry in the background, while Steve shook Allen gingerly, but firmly, once again.

"Allen," he said, using his best 'Captain' voice as referenced by Tony. "Up and at 'em. We have to get back to HQ, remember?"

Allen let out a sound that was dangerously close to a whimper, and his eyelids fluttered, but he didn't wake up.

Steve frowned, worried, and, struck by a sudden thought, gently pulled off Allen's ever-present left glove, and then inhaled sharply.

While previously, it had been disquieting in an alien sort of way, now it was frightening for a completely different reason – it looked, for lack of a better word, infected.

Cracks ran through it, scattered over the strange hand, and it looked swollen and unhealthy. It shook slightly, and when Steve prodded it, Allen whimpered again, shifting it away weakly.

Steve shifted back. "Alright," he said decisively. "We need to get him to the Order."

Miranda, pale, nodded quickly. "Komui can fix his Innocence," she said softly. "He hasn't needed to in a while, but he can."

Steve relaxed slightly; he'd been worried that it was unfixable. "Good."

Miranda smiled, slightly shakily, and leaned forward, replacing Allen's glove despite the soft whine it drew. At Steve's look, she explained quietly, "Allen hates letting people see it."

Steve nodded, and then addressed Thor. "Help me pick him up."

Thor nodded grimly and, alongside Miranda's guiding hands, helped move Allen onto Steve's back, where Steve held onto his thighs and Miranda looped Allen's arms around Steve's neck. Thor grimaced in pain, but made no noise, worried.

"Let's go," Steve said.

It didn't take long to reach the Ark door, but it seemed like a short eternity, with Allen's hitching breaths and their growing worry as he continued to refuse to wake.

And then they entered.

Steve stared, expression a combination of frustration and blankness. "I don't know how to get back," he admitted.

"We shall find it ourselves!" Thor said determinedly, starting forward.

Miranda shook her head quickly, running slightly to catch up to Thor's long strides. "Wait, wait!" she insisted. "I have a golem, we can ask someone to come find us!" She smiled wryly. "I think Link is in, and he always seems to know where everything is."

Thor paused, shrugged, and nodded. Steve nodded, too, and moved to set Allen gently down on one of the stairways, leaning the teenaged boy against him, while Miranda pulled out her golem.

"Hello?" she said tentatively into it, watching it unfold its wings and start to flutter into the air. "Put me through to Headquarters, please."

It blinked for a moment, and then lit up.

 _"Hello, hello?"_  came Komui's voice, half-sleepy.  _"Who is it?"_

"Um, it's me, Miranda," Miranda said tentatively.

 _"Oh!"_  said Komui, surprised. _"It's good to hear from you, Miranda, but is something wrong?"_

"Allen won't wake up, his Innocence is damaged," Miranda explained, "and none of us are sure how to get back. Can you send someone, please?" Then she winced and said hastily, "I'm sorry, I've been trying to learn my way around-"

 _"It's quite alright, Miranda,"_  Komui interrupted patiently.  _"I'll send Link; he's currently teaching Agent Coulson to use magic, but if Allen is hurt, he'd like to know."_

Steve gave Thor a startled look from where he sat with Allen, whose head was resting against his shoulder. "Learning magic?" he echoed.

Thor gave him a broad grin. "A most worthy endeavor!"

 _"He should be there in ten minutes,"_  Komui added.  _"I'll be waiting in the infirmary for your arrival."_

The golem blinked out, and Miranda retrieved it and returned it to her pocket. Then she sat down beside Allen, giving him an anxious look, and tentatively rubbed his back, as if hoping to soothe his sleep. Thor stayed up as though keeping watch, eyes intent. For a few moments, all of them were silent. Then…

"Our shield brother will recover," Thor said unexpectedly, turning back to give Miranda a reassuring grin. "Your scientists are most brilliant, and if one of them is healing him, then I am certain he will be fine."

Miranda smiled back and then returned her gaze to Allen, slightly less anxious. Thor smiled and returned to keeping an eye out for Link.

Link showed up when promised, about ten minutes later. His brow was furrowed, his walk a predatory stalk that betrayed his worry and frustration, eyes finding Allen instantly. More unexpectedly, Coulson was tagging along behind, still in his finder cloak and eyes sharp. He was tense, but his gaze found Steve and Thor almost as soon as they were in sight, and he relaxed slightly; Steve guessed that he had been worried.

Thinking about what had happened, Steve supposed it was well warranted.

"Give him to me," Link said, as soon as they were close. Steve obeyed without question, and Link received Allen, carrying him in the same way Steve had. He nodded curtly to Steve and then hurried ahead, leading the way back to the door and leaving Coulson to speak with the three remaining.

"What happened?" Coulson asked quietly, brow furrowed and eyes on theirs.

"We were attacked by the two Noah," Steve explained. Coulson's gaze sharpened harshly, and he added hastily, "Well, one, and then another came and sent her away, and he fought us instead. It…" He grimaced. "Didn't go as well as it could have."

Coulson looked as if he wanted to ask for details, but Link sent an impatient look back and sped up his pace pointedly. He settled for, "I'll want a report later. Besides Allen, are all of you uninjured?"

"We are well," Thor promised him, smiling. "We received injuries in the battle, but they were minor. We also met the White Exorcist's alter ego." He turned solemn. "He is most grim."

Coulson tensed, but Steve shook his head subtly.

"He was a little violent, but he didn't do anything." He belied this by rubbing his throat unconsciously, though the memories of the things he'd said were much worse. "He only came out when it looked like Tyki Mikk was going to kill Allen, so we should be alright."

"He's very protective of Allen," Miranda said softly.

Coulson caught onto something in particular, and his brow furrowed, mouth firming into a grim slash. "Why did the Fourteenth have to interfere?"

Steve and Thor both looked ashamed; Thor was the one who explained, eyes downcast. "Foe Tyki Mikk trapped us both in a situation of much pressure and little air. We were both rendered unable to interfere until it was too late."

Coulson's frown deepened. "He was fighting alone?"

Steve dipped his head and nodded. "For a while, yes. I managed to break whatever Tyki did, but it took too long."

Coulson nodded absently, mind focusing on that one thing. Allen had been fighting alone against a foe with too much strength for any of them to handle by themselves, because the two other fighters present had been trapped.

There just weren't enough fighters. They needed help.

The magic Link had been teaching him was troublesome and difficult. It would be worth it.

The medical room was already busy when they got there. Tony, Krory, and Lenalee were already inside, sitting up in beds looking varying degrees of concerned, and Alexei and Lavi were being ushered out even as they approached.

"Oh,  _Allen,"_  Komui murmured, voice deepened with empathy as they approached. A woman – Steve had heard Lavi addressing her as Head Nurse while she was ushering them out – reentered and nodded to Komui, who was holding an intimidating looking drill but didn't look quite ready to use it, and then advanced on them.

"Bed," she ordered all of them.

Miranda nodded quickly and hastened to obey, but Steve and Thor hesitated, and got a  _terrifying_  glare for their troubles. They followed Miranda's example and obeyed quickly.

"Alright, Allen," Komui murmured some way to the side, stroking his left arm gently. "I'll have you fixed up in no time, understand?"

It would have been reassuring, but then he started up the drill.


	34. Will to Fight

Allen smiled, reaching up to shake Alexei's hand, hiding his apprehension. Apprentice, huh?

"It's good to meet you," he smiled, weariness still in his eyes but a far sight better than he'd looked this morning. "How are you feeling?"

"Should I not be asking you that?" Alexei asked gingerly, eying Allen's left arm without a flinch – Allen didn't have words for how much he appreciated that – but looking rather apprehensive about its condition. Not without reason – it still  _looked_ sore as all hell, which it kind of was. But it was usable, which was all Allen really cared about.

Allen laughed. "Don't you worry about me. But I remember how overwhelming the Black Order can be, so really – how are you taking it?"

Alexei shrugged and grimaced. Allen laughed again.

"Yeah, that seems about right." His smile softened. "Don't worry. You've already had your introductory party, right? We're all with you. I promise."

Alexei eyed him hesitantly, and then, finally, gave a reluctant smile. "That is good," he said quietly.

"Now." Allen sat up a little more, trying to remember how Cross had trained him in the beginning (it had sucked, but he had, admittedly, learned a lot) and how Tiedoll had trained Chaoji, how Nyne was training Timothy. "Can I see your Innocence? What is it?"

Alexei had received his Innocence back just recently. He pulled it out and offered it for Allen to look at – it hadn't changed much, except to look more 'sophisticated' than 'makeshift'. "Slingshot," he muttered. Then, unable to help himself, "Is your Innocence really your arm?"

"From the fingertips to the shoulder and the skin to the bone," Allen confirmed, pulling down his collar so that Alexei could see the pattern that marked the end of his Innocence. "I can show you it another time." He gave Alexei a thoughtful look up and down, silver eyes intent. "I'm afraid I was a little unprepared, but if I spend today coming up with a training regimen, we can start tomorrow. That sound alright?"

Alexei looked apprehensive, but, reluctantly, he nodded. "Yes."

"And I learned Russian when I was apprenticed myself," Allen added with a friendly smile. "So if you ever want to switch languages…" He trailed off and let Alexei finish the sentence himself.

Alexei smiled a little more genuinely. "Okay." He hopped up, fidgeting slightly. "I am going now. Okay?"

"Okay," Allen agreed, waving him off. "Go ahead."

Alexei smiled and turned and left, satisfied but nervous.

Allen was younger than he'd expected – only five years older than him - but the other exorcists seemed certain that he could teach Alexei. Alexei was less sure – he did not seem aggressive enough to do battle. But appearances were deceiving.

He slowed down as he came across Steve and Coulson, talking quietly – Steve had been released earlier with a full bill of health and left immediately. He seemed afraid of the Head Nurse. Alexei thought that was wise.

"-Thor and I were caught off guard," Steve was saying, sounding like he was concluding a report, which he probably was. "It looked like if we'd been better prepared, we may have been able to subdue Mikk. Road is still an unknown quantity."

"And Allen?" Coulson prompted. Alexei stopped altogether, listening.

"He did very well," Steve confirmed. "I don't think we were able to get a good idea of his abilities during the first mission, since most of the enemies were at such a low level. It's likely that the same goes for Lavi." After a moment of hesitation, he added, "I haven't really seen him explain things, but as long as he keeps the Fourteenth under control, he should easily have the patience, and he certainly has the skill."

Coulson nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. Thank you, Captain."

Steve smiled reluctantly. "No problem."

"Alexei," Coulson added without looking, making Alexei jump guiltily. "I was hoping to talk to you, actually. Do you have a moment?"

Blue eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion (and it was then that Alexei realized that Allen had set him at ease with the skill of one who made their living doing so) and he nodded cautiously, assuming that Coulson would see it with his strange agent powers.

He crept forward and then stopped expectantly beside Coulson, looking up at him.

"Why did you agree?" Coulson asked without preamble.

Alexei started and gave him a confused look. "I had no choice," he offered hesitantly.

Coulson looked down at him, giving him a faintly amused and less faintly understanding look. "I joined SHIELD when I was a little over twenty years old," he told the young boy, who tilted his head inquisitively. "I always believed in heroes, you know, and I wanted to be one, too. Joining SHIELD let me do that." He smiled slightly. "They could make you join, but they couldn't make you do your best. Stark told me what you did for those finders; you didn't have to do that."

Alexei was deeply uncomfortable with this line of conversation. "I…" He bit his lip. "I don't…" It was hard to explain, really. It seemed so simple to him, but hard to put into words.

"Alexei, Coulson!"

Lenalee's voice, cheerful and faintly surprised, saved Alexei. Both of them looked up to see her approaching, eyes bright despite the bandages still on her side – you wouldn't know you were there by the way she moved.

"Did you know Loki could heal?" Lenalee asked Coulson, interested. "I'm almost all fixed up now!" She spun in a circle, smiling. "I was real worried about fighting, you know, since I can't afford to go off missions at the moment, but now I'm sure there won't be a problem."

"I did know," Coulson nodded, giving her a faint smile. "He doesn't do it often and he's a little out of practice, but I'm not surprised he offered." The Norse god had been mildly alarmed to learn that the exorcists still planned to go on missions despite the severity of their injuries. "Do try not to get too hurt, though. According to Loki, magical healing has isn't nearly as effective as natural healing, and sometimes things go wrong."

Lenalee calmed slightly and nodded seriously. "Of course. I wouldn't want to tax him too badly, anyway. It's just nice."

"Of course," Coulson agreed.

"I am going now," Alexei announced, wanting away from the previous conversation. "I want to train for Master." He'd heard other apprentices, like Timothy and Chaoji, addressing their masters as such, so he should do so, too.

"Okay," Lenalee said, smiling at Alexei. "Train hard! He'll probably be modelling his regimen after the one General Cross gave him, and from what I hear, he was a pretty harsh master."

Alexei would normally be apprehensive, but, well. It sounded like he'd need it.

As he left again, Lenalee looked to Coulson thoughtfully. "I've been meaning to ask…" she started, voice slightly wistful. "What's it like, working with the Avengers?"

Coulson gave her a surprised look. "You've worked with some of them," he pointed out, voice even.

"Well, yes," Lenalee admitted, giving him a bashful look. "But I've been following the Avengers… since they've popped up really. And the Fantastic Four, the X-Men…" She sighed. "I never would have believed in it before, but… with people like them, I can't  _not_ believe in heroes." She smiled again, back to wistful. "So what's it like to work with heroes? If you've always believed in them?"

Coulson couldn't have been more surprised if a pink elephant had lumbered into the room. "You and the other exorcists are heroes, too," he told her evenly.

Her expression turned surprised. "No, we're not," she countered instantly.

Coulson wasn't touching that. At least, not right now. "It's… really something else," he told her without directly addressing the previous topic. "They're unreal sometimes, I'll admit. But they're also very human – you've seen that." Being that exorcists had some amazing powers themselves. "There's certainly not a more humbling experience in the world." He looked at her, gave her a serious look. "And remember this – I work with heroes for a living. Have for years. And I  _know_ that you, and all the exorcists, are heroes."

Her face lined with uncertainty, but he didn't give her a chance to disagree, walking off.

Clint had called Coulson the previous night, and he hadn't liked what he'd heard.

Lenalee stared after Coulson, frowning thoughtfully, and then finally turned around and started walking again. Alexei had given her a good idea – with nothing to do at the moment, it was a good time to train.

She didn't quite get around to that, though, at least not right away; to her surprise, Miranda was in the training room, frowning pensively at the assorted training exorcists, Kanda and Clint and Natasha and others.

"Miranda," she greeted. "What are you doing here?" The training facilities didn't provide the sort of help Miranda needed.

Miranda started and looked at her guiltily. "I wish I could fight," she confessed unhappily, wringing her hands.

Lenalee softened. It wasn't the first time Miranda had expressed that desire, and Lenalee could understand – she didn't know what she would do if she couldn't fight. But still-

"You do a lot for us, Miranda," she said reassuringly, the same thing Miranda was told every time. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Miranda didn't look satisfied with that. Lenalee couldn't blame her.

"No one else could do what you do," Lenalee tried feebly, feeling almost as helpless as Miranda did.

Miranda bit her lip, eyes welling up with tears. "On my last mission, Allen got hurt because I couldn't help him. Lenalee, he almost d-died, and I couldn't bear it if someone died because I was useless!"

"What's your Innocence, then?" came Natasha's voice, making Miranda jump and Lenalee look over as Natasha approached. "This is the second time you've mentioned being unable to fight."

Miranda sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes with the heel of her hand and turning her head to look at Natasha. "Its name is Time Record," she whispered. "And I wouldn't trade it for the world – really, I wouldn't." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Time Record lets me freeze time, creating a shield, or temporarily reverse it, healing any damage that occurred in that time frame." She lowered her hand and gave Natasha a watery smile. "Never mind, I was being silly. I'm fine now."

For a moment, Natasha was speechless, though it wasn't obvious as she studied Miranda.

That would be… incredibly useful. Natasha could hardly believe, even with everything she'd seen, that such a thing was possible.

But she could see where the problem lay.

"I can teach you to fight," she said finally, surprising even herself.

Despite what she'd just said, Miranda brightened like the sun had come out, and looked at Natasha like she was the rainbow.

"Are you sure?" she asked in a very small voice.

"Of course," Natasha assured her – and strangely, she wasn't lying.

"That's a great idea!" Lenalee enthused, brightening nearly as much as Miranda. "You should do it!"

"Oh, yes, please!" Miranda nearly begged, hands clasped together, eyes tearing up for a very different reason. Natasha wasn't sure she'd ever seen anyone more earnest in her life – even Steve was more restrained.

Natasha gave her a small smile and turned away. "Come on, then. There's no time to waste."

Miranda blinked, and then hurried after her, happy tears pouring down her face and Lenalee's soft smile in quick pursuit.


	35. Arrows and Bullets

Akuma were tiresome.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't what Clint should be thinking right now. But it was true! They just wouldn't stop coming, and he was growing less terrified of them and more downright bored. Come on. Did they ever end?

And no, he wasn't just ranting to himself about the endless akuma to take his mind off the scene below. Cross was damn good; he could totally take a Noah. Even one that was a weird shapeshifter with an impassive voice and a freaky-neat suit.

Still, though, the last fight with a Noah was hard to forget. It had taken three experienced exorcists and two expert assassins just to hold off the two-which-became-one-weird-Noah. And Cross was insisting that he fight this one – Lulubell, he thought – on his own. Clint had half a mind to help anyway, only he knew full well Cross wouldn't take well to it, and would probably shoot him.

So Clint, he'd taken it upon himself to keep the akuma off the general's back. It made him feel less useless, even as his fingers stung and his wrist ached.

Well, at least Hulk was having fun, rampaging around town and smashing akuma with glowing green feet and fists and absolutely no grace whatsoever. Clint thought that, optimistically speaking, they should be done before night even started to fall, and be able to take the night train back.

And at least they weren't doing this in the dark. That would have sucked.

See, Clint and Bruce had expected to do this as soon as they arrived, like before. Except night was falling, and Cross had hit them both over the head just for suggesting it, and found an abandoned house just outside town because "like hell I'm fighting goddamn blind!"

And Lulubell could probably turn into something that could see in the dark. So it had been a good call.

Anyway. So there Clint was, watching Cross fight and making sure no akuma got within a three-building radius. Not that he thought those buildings would be sticking around real long, what with the general power levels of these people.

At the moment, Cross seemed to be doing pretty well. Lulubell was a falcon for now (and Clint prayed that the Noah didn't come anywhere near his perch) and swooping around Cross, who was shooting at her, looking vaguely bored, possibly because he didn't actually have to aim much – the bullets appeared to swerve to chase Lulubell, which was grossly unfair. Occasionally, Lulubell would dive down toward him, beak outstretched, and Cross would sidestep neatly, swinging his gun to hit her along.

Finally, though, one swoop got a bit too close to Cross' throat for either of their liking – in fact, Clint though that he saw a thin line of blood running down Cross' neck and into his jacket – and Cross frowned, one hand drifting there, and he smirked.

"Finally getting serious, darling?" Cross asked mockingly, stepping back. "Then so will I." He spread his hand to the side, palm back, and commanded, "Grave of Maria!"

Someday, Clint was going to stop being surprised by the things these people did.

An ominous string of music cued the appearance of a large coffin wrapped in chains, which then fell away, and it opened to reveal a woman. A dead woman, Clint would guess, blindfolded, with a large butterfly-like headpiece and a black funeral dress.

"Magdala Curtain!" Cross called out, and the probably-dead woman opened her mouth, releasing a haunting, wordless melody. Cross vanished from sight.

Huh. That was useful.

Lulubell, still a falcon, let loose a frustrated scream, and then shifted. She grew dramatically, and sprouted tentacles, lost her wings, started to glow-

A fiery tentacle monster, Clint thought faintly. Shit.

Lulubell started to flail her tentacles everywhere, and for a while, Cross must have been doing pretty well, and Maria – Clint assumed that was the maybe-not-so-dead woman's name – kept well enough out of the way, presumably under unheard instruction, as it appeared to be in a manner of dodging when Lulubell got too close, staring straight ahead like a, well, dead woman. A blindfolded dead woman.

Then one of Lulubell's tentacles seemed to hit something. Clint didn't hear a cry, but Clint guessed that just meant Magdala Curtain concealed sound, too. A bullet appeared out of that area and attempted to sink into Lulubell, but being that she was a fire monster, that didn't work especially well.

Clint was starting to get worried. Which was absurd – he barely knew Cross.

Fire was spreading from Lulubell, things catching fire and rising, and finally, Cross seemed to give up, ending Magdala Curtain and reappearing, badly burned and breathing a little heavily. He'd lost his hat somewhere, so his half-mask was clearer, and parts of his coat were blackened and even burnt away. His hands were badly burnt, too – he must have patted out the flames – but he still clutched his gun just as tight, his smirk gone and his eyes serious.

"Now, that's just rude, sweetheart," he said, venomous tone incongruous to his words. "I thought we were having fun."

"You're too filthy to even come near me, Marian," Lulubell said, disdain dripping from every word like spoiled honey.

"That hurts worse than the burns," Cross said with a feral grin, bringing up Judgement. "Sin Annihilation Level – I think an insult like that calls for a bit of a boost, don't you, Judgement?"

His gun lit up with a green glow, and Cross' grin widened a little. Clint could actually see his movements speed up – dodges that he might not have been able to pull off a minute previous seemed to come easily as he avoided the now much more directed tentacles, and shots that had done nothing now made Lulubell flinch.

One, though, managed to wrap too-tight around his elbow, and Cross' smooth grin faltered into a snarl and a muffled yell. He pulled away, sleeve burning, and lost more than half his sleeve, patting the rest out. Now he was badly burned over a significant portion of his arm, and Clint had no doubt that blisters would soon rise to the occasion. He could see the growing strain on the general's face, too, barely-visible sweat and a furrowed brow, a tense jaw.

Clint shot down a few more akuma with prejudice, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Focus, Barton. There were no second chances here.

For all Cross' skill, he looked to be losing, and that would be… bad. Clint swallowed.

Because he wasn't sure they could get out of this themselves, not if Lulubell decided to go after them. And she probably would.

Shit, but a mission hadn't scared him this much in years, and he made a mental note to make sure to call his wife later. For sure. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't worry her.

And then Lulubell, watching Cross pant and wince and glare, hand clutching his gun tight as a vice, lashed out again, while he was still trying to regain his bearings, because damn, but that must have hurt.

What she did next would have hurt a lot worse – one tentacle shot out, and it wrapped around Cross' neck and lifted him into the air, and he screamed.

Lulubell held him there for but a moment, and then dropped him to the ground. He lay there, struggling to breathe, a hand hovering over his throat, glare far more searing than the tentacle he'd been burned and strangled with. Lulubell stared down at him indifferently, sweat on her brow and breathing heavy. And then she changed again.

Now, she was a woman. A woman who looked just like the one that had come from the chained coffin, only alive, with soft brown eyes.

"Cross," she greeted, in a very different voice. Cross had stiffened, glare intensifying, breath coming harsher. "I had heard tales about your Grave of Maria, but I admit she still surprised me." She stepped closer, crouching in front of him, head tilted, eyes as neutral as in her natural form. "Who was she, General? Was she a friend? A lover? How did she die, General?" She chuckled quietly. "What would she think about your second weapon?" She pouted, eyes shining with the threat of tears. "Could you do this to me a second time, Cross?"

For a moment, both of them were frozen. Just outside the three-building radius, akuma swarmed. In the distance, the Hulk raged, smashing and bellowing. Clint numbly kept the akuma out of the area, gaze fixed on the scene below, gut clenched.

Then, hand too steady for how much it must have hurt, Cross raised Judgement and pressed it to the woman's forehead.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but you aren't Maria," he rasped. "Arrow of Original Sin."

A demon bow formed around his gun, and before Lulubell could react, the gun went off, and her head exploded, blood flying everywhere. Her corpse fell limply to the ground.

Cross fell back, and panted. And then he passed out.

Well. Damn.

…Hulk was almost done with the akuma, right? 'Cause he needed Bruce. He could handle the rest of the akuma. Yeah. His fingers were bleeding, but that was fine.

Clint sighed, and scampered down to hide Cross somewhere he wouldn't get killed until he got Bruce here. He had no idea how he'd let himself get even remotely attached to the man in the very brief time he'd known him, but he really needed to make sure it didn't happen again.

But for now, Bruce.


	36. Listen Close

Timothy was in the infirmary. This was not because he was hurt; it was because he was bored, and there were a lot of interesting people to listen to there.

Interesting people who didn't know he was there.

"How did Alexei get recruited?" Allen was asking Tony, looking mildly concerned.

Alright, so Timothy was mostly listening because they were talking about his new friend. But it was important! There weren't any kids Timothy's age here, and now, boom! Friend. Timothy was more excited than it probably warranted, which led him to do, well. Things like this.

"Spying is wrong, Master," a voice said beside him, sounding amused and resigned.

Timothy barely spared Tsukikami a glance. The manifestation of his Innocence was a constant, and while he treasured it more than anything, sometimes he was pretty sure it thought it was more helpful than it actually was. "Yeah, yeah," he said quietly, so no one could hear but Tsukikami.

"They tied him down," Tony said, grim for just a moment, and Timothy's eyes widened. "I'd say it was awful, but the Order seems to suck and so the rest of you probably weren't any better, yeah?"

"Yeah," Allen said with a rueful smile. "I got recruited off my father's grave. I was useless for the next month, too." For a few moments, he was silent, and then he shook his head and smiled. "But never mind that, it's not important. Did you see him use his Innocence?"

"You bet I did," Tony said, momentarily gleeful, cackling quietly. "Those things didn't know what hit 'em! You should've seen the looks on the finders' faces, too. Ha!"

Allen chuckled, too. "How was he at using his Innocence?"

"Took to it like a fish to water," Tony said cheerfully. "They're peas in a pod. Birds of a feather. Bullets of a caliber." Allen stared at him. "Tell you what, though, he nearly passed out afterward. We were fighting, what, a few hours?"

Timothy snickered, too quietly for the older exorcists to hear, and Tsukikami gave him a proud glance, smile just a twitch of his lips. Ha! He'd passed that stage ages ago, and now he could use his Innocence forever! He'd just have to make sure Alexei caught up to him, so Timothy didn't leave him  _too_  far in the dust.

Allen nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's pretty normal." He paused, and then his voice dropped slightly. "While we're on the subject… How is yours doing?"

Tony's face smoothed into seriousness. Timothy's eyes widened. Tony had an Innocence? A real Innocence, not a weird one like the other Avengers? He was an exorcist?

Why hadn't they told anyone? Why were they being so… oh. That's right.

Timothy knew what happened to exorcists. They got  _used._  He forgot that sometimes, 'cause Nyne always looked out for him. And Tony had responsibilities as an Avenger, so he was being careful 'cause he had a job outside of the Order and needed to be free still.

Tsukikami looked down at him, suddenly much more serious, and placed a hand on his head with a grim nod and a hint of regret. "Never forget, Master," he said quietly.

Right. Timothy understood, and silently, he made a gesture like he was zipping his lips. He wouldn't say a word to anyone. Tsukikami smiled at him again, and redirected its attention to the room, allowing Timothy to do so as well.

"It's a little weird," Tony admitted, rubbing his chest slightly. He made a face, slightly playfully. "Makes me feel like more of a madman than I already am, voices in my head. I don't need that shit." Then, more serious again, "It's getting easier to use – got an upgrade last time 'round, so even if the armor gets torn up,  _which it did,_  I can still fight."

Allen smiled. "That's good. Your synchro rate must be rising; your Innocence is becoming more versatile."

Timothy nodded to himself firmly and then, as Allen and Tony's conversation turned to other topics, he scurried off, out of the infirmary. Tsukikami followed with a much more even stride.

He wandered around for a while, pretty bored. He didn't want to train right now – he'd been training all day! But there really wasn't much else to do, unless he wanted to terrify the finders or bug the scientists.

Then he bumped into someone and hopped back a step to keep his balance, frowning up. His eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face.

Loki, looking down at him in some puzzlement.

"Hi!" Timothy chirped, grinning up at him, crossing his arms, struggling not to seem as excited as he was. Tsukikami chuckled, shaking his head at him, and glancing at Loki with faint amusement.

"Hello," Loki returned, clearly still puzzled.

"You're one of the Avengers, right?" Timothy chattered, pleased. Loki was like an exorcist, only not, 'cause he was an Avenger! But exorcists did sort of the same thing - saving the world, right? That's what they told him, anyway. "What do you think of the Order? It's cool, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. Of course it was cool! They fought monsters! "But hard! Even for me! I bet it's hard for you, too, right?"

"Somewhat," Loki replied slowly, surprised. "I have been in more difficult battles, but this has not been easy." Not as he had expected it to be.

"Of course not!" Timothy sniffed up at him, affronted. "Exorcists die a lot, you know, and that wouldn't happen if it were easy." The grin returned. "But not me! I can possess akuma, you know? I can do all the way up to a level three now!"

Tsukikami smiled at Timothy again, and nodded. "With a little more work, you'll be able to do level four as well," it said to the boy, whose grin widened slightly, eyes sparkling with delighted anticipation.

He looked so proud of himself that Loki had to chuckle, starting to walk again, now with Timothy beside him. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Timothy grinned. He tilted his head up, eyes sparkling, and asked, "So what can you do?"

"I have no Innocence," Loki told him. "However, I can simulate its signature, which lets me destroy akuma."

Timothy sniffed at him again, scowling in reprimand. "You don't destroy akuma! You purify them, so the souls go free!" Allen had told him so, and Nyne and Tsukikami hadn't said otherwise.

"Of course," Loki agreed, hiding his amusement this time. "My apologies."

Timothy scowled, and then brightened again. "But you don't have any Innocence at all? How do you fight? Does it really work? I thought every time someone tried that it went to shit!" Like, really to shit. Let's-never-do-that-again-ever grade shit. Tsukikami scowled, something he rarely did. Discussion of the artificial exorcists always made him bad-tempered.

Loki shot him a surprised and mildly alarmed look, and then said, "It is as though I have an Innocence. It works fine, I assure you."

"Huh." Timothy looked thoughtful now. "I wouldn't have thought that'd work." Then he shrugged. "Well, whatever! Innocence is still cooler!" Tsukikami grinned at him fondly.

Loki chuckled. "If you say so, Mr. Hearst."

Timothy frowned at him. "Don't call me that! I'm  _Timothy!"_  He smirked, puffing his chest out like a superhero. "I'm the youngest exorcist, you know, and since I can fight, that means I'm really good!" He frowned suddenly. "I'm not the youngest ever, though. Think that was Lenalee…" He pouted, and didn't mention his second mentor. He never did.

"Very well done," Loki assured him.

Timothy grinned. "You're not bad yourself," he said modestly.

Loki raised an eyebrow, a flash of self-recrimination darting through his eyes. "No?" he asked, tone brimming with skepticism. "You say that, even after what I did?"

Timothy suddenly turned serious. His smile disappeared, and he slowed down slightly, hands falling from where they were gesticulating wildly. "Yeah, I do." He looked down, kicking at the ground. After a moment, he asked suddenly, "Hey, did anyone ever tell you 'bout the Phantom Thief G thing?"

Tsukikami glanced at Timothy, looking faintly surprised, but Timothy didn't look back.

Loki frowned, wondering what relevance that had. "No, I haven't heard anything about it."

"I was in an orphanage, you know, 'fore they found me," Timothy told him, eyes on the ground, frowning. "And it was really low on funds, y'know? It was gonna shut down, but I didn't want it to. And I'd found out 'bout my Innocence by then – I could possess people, too, make them do whatever I wanted. So I made them steal things, so the orphanage could get money." He shrugged. "So I kinda get it, okay? I figure you had your reasons."

Loki stared at Timothy thoughtfully, long after the boy had fallen uncomfortably silent.

"Thank you, Timothy," he said finally, and somehow, he really meant it.

Timothy shrugged, discomfited, and flashed a grin up at him out of the corner of his eye. "'Sides, the Order wouldn't have let you take over the world anyway. So it didn't matter."

Loki knew a great deal of people who would very much disagree, but instead he chuckled.

"Timothy. There you are."

Both of them looked over to see Nyne approaching them briskly, expression mildly annoyed but mostly fond as she set her gaze on Timothy. Tsukikami gave her a respectful nod. Timothy didn't know why, since she couldn't see it, but it always did. Maybe it was trying to install good habits into him, in which case it was wasting its time.

"I've been looking for you," she continued as she approached. "We have a mission. Come on."

Timothy's eyes lit up. "A mission? Awesome!"

"You too," Nyne added with a nod to Loki. "You and your brother both."

Loki remained mildly uneasy, but just nodded to the general, who nodded crisply back and led Timothy on, with Loki following half a step behind. Timothy tilted his head, frowning.

"Hey, this isn't the way to the stupid sis-com's office!" he objected.

"That's Chief Komui to you," Nyne reminded him, sighing at the futility of it all. "And we're going to fetch someone first."

"Ohh," Timothy hummed in realization. "So we're going with someone! Who is it? Who?" He was nearly dancing with excitement. "Is it that mean guy Kanda? We haven't worked with him yet! Or Allen – no, he's still in the infirmary, right? Is it Marie? Marie's nice." Loki had to chuckle.

"Calm down, Timothy," Nyne reprimanded, which was funny, since Tsukikami had just said the same thing. "You'll see when we get there."

Timothy pouted, but didn't say another word the rest of the way to the training room.

In there, Kanda was slashing viciously at a set of dummies, Thor was sparring with Zokalo with a broad grin, and Natasha was patiently teaching Miranda to fight, working with exaggeratedly slow motions and coaching her through it.

Nyne stopped at the edge, watching them for a while, and then waved her hand for Timothy to stay put. Timothy pouted, but obeyed.

Nyne approached Natasha with a swaying walk, eyes narrowed, Lau Jimin chittering about her shoulders. Loki glanced between the two, brow furrowed for the briefest of moments, but then his eyes settled on Natasha, he chuckled, and he moved on to breaking up Thor and Zokalo.

"Palm strike," Natasha coached, staying light on her feet but fairly relaxed, even for a spar. "Straight for my solar plexus, I showed you earlier – I'm wide open, Miranda." She spread her hands for emphasis.

"But I don't want to hurt you," Miranda worried.

"You won't," Natasha assured her, dry. "I promise. Go on, hit me."

Biting her lip, Miranda struck, surprisingly quick and accurate. Natasha just let it brush her, showing Miranda that she'd hit the right place, before nullifying the impact by jumping back.

"Good," Nyne said before Natasha could, nodding to Miranda, who started violently, already flushing with mortification. "Keep training like that and no human, at least, will ever take you down. Natasha." She addressed the other woman, keeping her gaze as even as the one that met hers. "I'm pleased that you decided to teach Miranda to fight. It's about time she learned."

Natasha nodded slightly, keeping her gaze on Nyne. "Yes, I'm surprised she hadn't learned already, place like this."

Nyne shrugged. "What can I say? We're always busy, and the fact was that she wasn't really a combat exorcist. It wasn't a priority." Miranda flushed and ducked her head. "I'm afraid, Miranda, that I'll have to steal your instructor for now," Nyne added to her. "I'd suggest you practice whatever she showed you in the meantime, and perhaps do some strength exercises." A humorous glint flashed in her eyes. "I suspect Walker could show you some while he's teaching Alexei. Some of the things Marian made him do are quite… interesting."

Miranda nodded quickly. "I will!" she promised, determination in her eyes. "I'll go practice right now, and... I'll talk to Allen as soon as he starts training!"

She ran off, giving Natasha a quick smile and a heartfelt "Thank you!" as she went.

That left Nyne and Natasha, staring at each other with an identical even gaze.

Finally, Nyne smiled. "Well, I have to say I was quite surprised to learn your true identity," she said lightly, faintly amused.

In return, Natasha allowed a slight smile to curl her own lips. "Well, that  _is_  the objective."

"That it is," Nyne agreed. "Still, I never followed the Avengers like a few of the younger exorcists. Miss Lee is quite taken with you, you know."

Natasha had noticed, even if it had been subtle. "Yes, I know. I suppose I can see why." After a moment, she continued, "I assume that this talk wasn't your only reason for speaking to me, though."

"Of course not," Nyne agreed, with another slight smirk. "You're with me, mission to Spain – it's another akuma nest." She sighed. "I'm not especially fond of them myself, but they make good training missions, and Timothy needs all the training he can get before we storm the Black Ark."

Worry, almost unreadable, crossed the general's eyes. Natasha could hardly fail to miss it.

"Of course," she said quietly.

"Up for it?" Nyne asked, swiftly recovering to give Natasha a raised eyebrow and a look up and down, lingering on the still-stark bruise on her cheek.

Natasha stretched out, testing the general soreness of her body after the beating Jasdebi had given her. Yeah, that still hurt. Then she smirked confidently.

"Always."

* * *

They met in Komui's office, same as before, this time again with another group – Natasha counted four: Steve, Kanda, Lavi, and Lenalee.

Komui smiled at all of them, tired. "Hello," he greeted cheerfully, making a visible effort to perk up. Natasha wondered what he'd been doing that made him so tired at the moment. "As you all can see, we have two groups at the moment." His smile turned apologetic. "I know that we have a rather greater density of missions than any of you are used to, and I do apologize. But needs must – we all know that." After a moment of brooding in which no one objected, he brightened again. "In any case, General Nyne, as I've already told you, you'll be taking your group to deal with an akuma nest in Spain." His eyes turned serious. "I warn you, we're fairly certain that Road has taken up residence there after she fled her last known point, and you've heard stories about her, I'm sure."

Nyne nodded curtly. "We'll be fine, Komui."

Komui smiled briefly, and then continued, "Captain, Kanda, Lavi – you'll be going to America to fetch an accommodator that's appeared there." Steve started, Lavi smiled, and Kanda crossed his arms and frowned. "I'd like to remind you to be extra careful, and do try not to scare her away." He handed them a mission file with a kind smile.

"I'd never scare a girl away," Lavi said dismissively, grinning. Kanda 'che'd.

"You scare girls away when you smile, stupid rabbit."

"I do not!"

"Lenalee," Komui interrupted them, giving his sister a small, fond smile. "You're going on an independent mission; an Innocence retrieval in India." His smile turned strained, though he held it firm. "Do be careful, hm?"

"Of course, brother," Lenalee assured him fondly, taking the offered mission folder. "Don't worry. I've been doing this longer than some of the generals!"

Komui chuckled ruefully and nodded in agreement, then redirected his attention to the rest of them. "As Allen is still rather indisposed, Link will be guiding the rest of you to the appropriate gates."

Lavi whistled. "Beansprout really has been everywhere, huh?"

"He had to be flown specially to make a gate in America," Komui admitted. "He was assigned a few missions specifically so he could make gates."

"Bummer," Lavi muttered. "So old two-spot's gonna show us where to go? How the hell does he know what's what in that maze?"

"Practice, Bookman Junior," Link said crisply, appearing out of Komui's piles of books. "And some navigational skill. Shall we go?"


	37. Look Back

"Three states away," Kanda said flatly. "I hate America."

"It won't take long," Steve assured him, hiding a grin. "The East Coast's states are much smaller; on the West Coast, three states is about the height of the country."

"I  _hate_  America," Kanda repeated with feeling, leaning back and glaring at the back of the head of the finder in the passenger seat. "Where are we going?"

Two of the finders had come and gotten them from the gate, and the others were with the accommodator. The drive would be pretty long, from what Kanda understood, hence two drivers.

"Maine," Lavi answered, opening the mission folder and examining it. He scanned it quickly, taking in every detail, and then passed it to Steve, who started to read.

It was a woman, about 24, allegedly with an Innocence watch, which projected a shield that could be thrown. Rhapsody Aries. Her whole town had been wiped out, but she's survived, though she couldn't use it well enough to save them. The finders had gotten her out and were holding her nearby, having explained the situation.

"I'm surprised the Order never seems to fly anywhere," Steve admitted, finally passing it to Kanda, who immediately started reading it intently. "It would be a lot faster, wouldn't it?"

"Faster, yeah," Lavi confirmed. "But have you ever seen an akuma attack on an airplane?" He didn't wait for a response. "No? Neither have I. You can tell 'cause I'm not dead."

Steve grimaced, imagining that particular scenario. "That would be bad," he admitted.

Lavi chuckled, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "You bet it would," he said cheerfully. "So let's not open with that, yeah? New exorcists tend to be a little sensitive." His grin widened, green eye lighting up with almost childish delight. "It's great, though, that we're getting another new exorcist. We haven't gotten one since Timothy, you know? And now there's Alexei and this new girl." He laughed and shook his head, while Steve smiled in amusement and Kanda scoffed quietly at his antics.

"When did Timothy arrive?" Steve asked curiously.

Lavi shrugged. "I dunno, a little over a year ago? Anyway, we're probably getting so much done just because the missions are so much more frequent." He rolled his eyes. "Never been so busy in my life, I'm telling you! It's ridiculous." Absently, he rubbed his throat, where bruising was clearly visible.

Steve gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Lavi started, then sharply removed his hand with an easy grin. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it. Loki fixed my breathing right up, actually, so it's all good. Didn't know he could do that."

Steve gave him a surprised look. "Loki healed you? Really?" To Lavi's surprised look, he elaborated, "He doesn't do it that often; he says that it can cause permanent damage if he's not careful."

Lavi's gaze melted into thoughtfulness. "That so?" After a moment for thought, he shook his head and asked, "Hey, how'd your mission go? Everything alright? You seemed a little shaken up when you got back, and Allen got hurt pretty bad."

"It wasn't great," Steve admitted, grimacing. "Two Noah showed up, but we only fought one, and it still didn't go well."

"Which one?" Lavi asked with interest.

"Tyki Mikk?" Steve asked more than said, wondering if Lavi would recognize him by name. Lavi did, grimacing in sympathy. "He did something that took me and Thor out of commission for a bit, so we weren't in any position to help when he went after Allen."

"Yeah, he does that," Lavi admitted. "Unnatural interest, really. Anything else?"

"…Yeah," Steve said, with a small frown, glancing away. "We met Neah."

Lavi flinched, and then a tearing sound drew both their attention to Kanda; he'd torn the mission folder in half, and his hands were shaking, clutching the two sheafs of paper.

With a soft curse, he dropped them, letting them scatter, hands still shaking.

"Seventeen days, wasn't it, rabbit?" he asked, voice low.

Lavi lounged back. He wasn't fooling anyone; Steve could see the tension in the line of his shoulders and the darkness in his eye. "Think this is one thing you remember better than I do, Yuu," he said quietly.

"Is something wrong?" Steve asked worriedly, gaze flickering between the two exorcists.

"Yuu hates Neah," Lavi explained, after a glance at Kanda in which Kanda did not stop him. "Blames himself – the first time Neah came out, back when he was still hostile, it was his fault."

Not 'he thought it was his fault' – it was. Steve wondered about that, briefly, but then Kanda spoke.

"Thought I could make up for it by going with him, back then." Steve surmised that he meant when Allen had been driven out of the Order. "But then it didn't really get any better." Kanda swallowed, glaring a hole into the window. His voice was ridden with self-recrimination. "You can kill a man, you can spit on his grave, but you don't turn him into his worst nightmare. You don't."

Lavi nudged Kanda across Steve, grinning a grin that only looked slightly forced. "Guess that means you can't cut his hair, huh?" he joked lamely, forcing a smirk.

"I'll cut your hair, stupid rabbit," Kanda snapped back, glaring. Steve relaxed, smiling fondly at both of them and shaking his head.

They talked a bit for a while longer, passing the time. Kanda fell asleep, eventually, and Lavi shot Steve a grin and then started braiding the other boy's hair, while Steve shook his head in amusement.

"He's going to kill you, you know."

"He can try!"

* * *

**17 Days to Invasion**


	38. Game Start

Loki let out a long sigh and removed his hands from Thor's side. "Done. Honestly, Thor…"

Thor gave Loki a broad grin and a hug. "I will be more cautious with these foes," he agreed, without waiting for Loki to finish and not meaning a word of it. Loki let out a quiet chuckle, reluctantly hugging back because he knew Thor wouldn't let go until he did.

"That's so cool!" Timothy enthused as they separated again, eyes fixed on Thor's mostly-fixed wound. "The only one in the Order who could do that before was Miranda, and she can't hold it forever. But you just… fixed it!" He waved his hands happily.

"I am not in your Order," Loki reminded him gently, not looking away from Thor, gaze still intent. Thor gave him another broad grin, so Loki looked away, to Timothy, who shrugged dismissively.

"Right," Timothy said agreeably. But he knew better – Tony had a real Innocence, so he was an exorcist, and that meant that  _all_  of them were members of the Order. That was how things worked. "Anyway, can I learn to do that? Or can you do it 'cause you're an alien?"

"I can do it because I am Asgardian," Loki told him, fondness seeping into his voice despite his best efforts. "Sadly, Midgardians cannot perform our sort of magic." Though Link seemed capable of a different sort of magic…

"Aww." Timothy pouted. "Can Thor do it?"

"If he tried," Loki said, with a fondly exasperated glance at his brother, who ducked his head sheepishly. "However, his interests lie elsewhere."

Timothy widened his eyes. "But how can you not be interested in  _magic?"_

"I prefer the thrill of battle," Thor admitted, giving Timothy a small grin. "It suits me well, I like to think."

"Oh." Timothy gave Thor a serious nod of understanding. "Okay, I guess I get that." He tilted his head slightly. "Is it hard?" he asked Loki. "Link said the magic CROW uses is hard, and you can't even heal with that."

"It is very hard," Loki agreed. "I have studied for centuries to gain my skills."

Timothy's eyes widened again. "Centuries?"

Loki smiled at Timothy's awe, and Thor chuckled. "Yes – you see, Asgardians may live for up to several thousand years…"

While they continued to speak, Natasha and Nyne were studiously pretending to ignore each other, while actually studying each other intently. Lau Jimin twitched. Natasha's eyes flicked to him. Nyne settled him with a touch, and Natasha shifted. Nyne followed the movement without so much as turning her head.

It was all very intense and slightly awkward.

They may not have been as far from their destination as the other group – though Lenalee, by Nyne's understanding, had lucked out – but they still had a short train ride 'til they arrived. (Why trains still stopped by these akuma nests, Nyne would never understand.) Thus, they'd spent the night at their destination (where Nyne commandeered a handily available contact of Cross' – that man had people everywhere) and then moved in.

"I'm not going to bite," Nyne said finally, a hint of amusement in her tone. "Not unless asked, anyway."

Without missing a beat, Natasha let her lips curve into a smile. "Well, you never know," she said lightly. She glanced at Timothy. "How long have you been training him?"

Nyne let her smile turn slightly fond as she thought of her apprentice, waving his arms excitedly at the two Asgardians, eyes sparkling. "A little over a year," she replied. "He's learned a lot, but he still has a long way to go before he's a full exorcist." She chuckled quietly. "I hear Marian trained Walker for five years before he was satisfied. Timothy probably would have been ready in another year and a half. However…" Her expression softened into a pensive one. "I suppose he won't need to."

And then she smiled. Natasha nodded thoughtfully.

"No, I suppose not," she replied lightly. "Do you believe Walker will be able to train Alexei well enough to survive in the time left?"

Nyne's face turned serious. "That depends on a variety of things," she replied, feigning carelessness. "If Walker is able to ask for help when he's unsure. If Alexei is a fast learner. Whether or not Walker can distinguish between winning and surviving." She shook her head, disgusted, though with what wasn't precisely clear. "It would take a miracle."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Do you believe in miracles?" she asked curiously.

"No," Nyne replied without a second thought, then arched an eyebrow at Natasha. "Do you?"

"Not for a moment," Natasha answered, surprising herself with her honesty. She glanced up and sighed. "Here we go again."

"Hm?" Nyne glanced up, and then found herself slightly surprised. "Ah."

"Huh?" Timothy looked up, followed their gazes, and instantly brightened up, nearly bouncing out of his seat with the force of it. "Oh, oh! We're here!"

"So we are," Loki agreed.

* * *

Loki was getting flashbacks. Of the first mission. Perhaps all akuma nest missions were alike - tedious and tense.

Timothy had been bouncing anxiously for a while, having gone from excited to wary almost as soon as they entered the town, but Nyne had calmed him down with a sharp glance and now he was simply watching everyone carefully, more intent than Loki had seen him so far.

Thor, too, was still, and Loki found it unnatural, the way his brother was more wary than boisterous. Of course, Loki himself was equally alert, and Natasha, though she seemed calm, wasn't actually fooling anyone. He was sure that General Nyne was just the same.

For all his theoretical alertness, Loki was the last to turn when the akuma finally burst, and it took a tug from Thor for him to dodge just far enough out of the way to miss the hail of bullets.

Natasha made a motion as if to draw her gun, eyes focused on the akuma, but Nyne made a 'stand down' gesture, and, reluctantly, Natasha stilled.

"Timothy," Nyne ordered.

Timothy nodded seriously, and then, without missing a beat, collapsed.

Loki would have been alarmed and concerned, but in the same instant, the akuma stilled, and then burst back to life, moving as though it was testing its limbs. Loki's gaze sharpened with interest, and Natasha frowned.

"Timothy?" Nyne prompted, moving to scoop up the boy's body and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, um…" The akuma with Timothy's voice, which appeared to have been possessed by the young boy, seemed to be concentrating, still fidgeting and stretching. Then it lifted one leg, and stomped down. Cracks spread from the point of contact, and the akuma brightened. "Yeah! I can do this!"

He sounded very confident. Loki was still interested.

"Good," Nyne replied, pleased. She nodded to the street, where the other akuma had noticed the motion. "Then do so." And then, "Lau Jimin, activate."

The others took that as their cue.


	39. Play Ball

Allen ran over what he'd planned out, and smiled at Alexei, who gave him an unsettled look back.

"Okay, Alexei," he began. "We have a few days to train before I need to take you out on your first mission, but you've got a good base to start on, so you should be okay. I'm going to start you on some basics-"

"Um… Allen?"

Miranda's tentative voice startled Allen out of his instruction, and he looked over curiously. "Miranda? What is it?"

"Um…" She fidgeted. "Miss Romanov was teaching me to fight before she left and… and then she had to go so General Nyne said to ask you to teach me some of the exercises you were going to teach Alexei?"

"Oh!" Allen smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'd be happy to." He looked back at Alexei, who looked surprised. "Alexei, we can work on your aim later, but first I want to work on your balance, strength and speed. It's not as important for you as it was for me, since you don't have a melee Innocence, but you still need to be able to get around quickly, and strength'll probably help with your draw." He paused, and then added with a smile, "I don't think I need to explain why you don't want to fall."

"I do not need help with my _aim,"_  Alexei muttered rebelliously, while Miranda hurried to stand in front of Allen, next to Alexei. "Okay, so what am I going to be doing?"

Allen had thought about this at length. In a way, his first training had been at the circus, learning acrobatics and circus tricks with Mana, and it had been an enormous help later on. He smiled.

"I'm going to teach you to roll on a ball."

It hadn't been as difficult to find some circus-sized balls as Allen had anticipated, meaning it had merely taken a long time, rather than being impossible. He'd only brought two, one for him to demonstrate with and one for Alexei to use, so he demonstrated first, talking Alexei through the first few steps, and then stepped down so Miranda could use it.

Both of them were pinwheeling in panic, and Allen chuckled quietly, hiding it behind his hand so they wouldn't see.

"What is the point?" Alexei yelped, and then fell off.

Allen smiled ruefully and went over to help him up, pulling him to his feet and then helping him back onto the ball. "Reactions and balance," he explained. "You need to be able to react fast to stay on top, and it'll help your sense of balance. Once you've got the hang of it, I'm going to have you go faster, and that'll be speed."

"O-okay." Alexei fell off again. Allen smiled and helped him up again.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," he reassured the younger boy. He turned and looked up to Miranda, who was on top of her ball again after falling off. "Alright there, Miranda?"

"U-um…" She fell off. Allen gave her a rueful look. She blushed in mortification and scrambled to get back on.

It might be a while before they were ready to move on, Allen figured.

"Training them in circus tricks, stupid apprentice?"

Almost on reflex, Allen turned and scowled at Cross, already starting, "Stupid Master, you said that-" He stopped, and worry overtook indignation almost instantly. "Are you alright?" he blurted out without thinking.

Burns across his face, his arm and neck bandaged up, Cross scowled at him. "Stupid apprentice, I'm fine. Goddamn Noah fucked up my face, is all. And I need a drink." Which he held in one hand already, opened but barely started. "What the fuck are you doing with your apprentice?"

With a little bit of effort, Allen scowled at him again. "You said that my circus training was helpful!"

"Yeah, 'cause we had  _time,"_  Cross sniped back. "The fuck are you having him do?"

Allen sighed in annoyed resignation. "I'm working on his balance and coordination," he gritted out. "Later, I'll have him do handstands, and once he's got that down I'm teaching him that _stupid_ tilted-chair exercise, and I'll have him run."

"What about his aim?" Cross countered. "He's got a slingshot, doesn't he, stupid apprentice? He's not a hand-to-hand fighter."

"I know that," Allen snapped back, frustrated. Behind him, Miranda fell down. "But he's been using it a long time, hasn't he, stupid Master?" Over his shoulder, "Alexei, how long have you been using that slingshot?"

"U-uh!" Alexei fell down, huffed in frustration, and replied, "Three years.  _I do not need to work on my aim!"_  He scowled at both of them and then struggled back on, determined to get it right.

"It's not a priority right now," Allen said, triumphant. "He needs to be faster so nothing hits him, and he needs to be steady so he can aim. So speed and balance."

Cross regarded him for a long moment, and then, finally, gave up a smirk. "Huh. So you're not  _completely_  useless."

Allen scowled at him, and then pointedly turned back to Miranda and Alexei. Miranda fell down again.

"Don't look at the ground," he advised. "Look forward, and try not to overcompensate. Trust me, it never helps."

* * *

Tony was fixing his armor. Apparently being merged with Innocence didn't mean it was exempt from requiring annoyingly regular repairs.

He was in the midst of the science department, which, as seemed to be normal, was bustling with activity, punctuated by yells which varied from triumph to terror. He seemed to blend right in, sitting there working on his armor. Coffee cups sat everywhere, scattered and half-forgotten save distracted gulping, and the occasional confused look if it turned out to be empty.

"Hey, Tony."

He didn't actually register the voice's owner at first, or the seriousness of the tone, and gave a half-distracted, "Yeah?"

A hand reached forward and shook his shoulder, startling him. He looked up, saw Clint's serious face, and brightened. "Clint! What's up?"

"One of the generals talked to me and Bruce," he told Tony, mouth forming a half-scowl. "He knows."

Tony paused, processed that, and tensed. "And?" he prompted, sort of dreading the answer.

Clint shrugged, grimacing. "He doesn't care. But he had a thing or two to say." He glanced around, and Tony would have laughed at his paranoia, not least because no one in the science department ever paid any mind to anything going on around them. He leaned forward slightly. Tony's eyes narrowed, and all thoughts of laughter left his mind. "He said that if anyone found out, there was gonna be some pretty craptastic fallout from Central." Tony nodded impatiently; that was to be expected, and Clint didn't seem to be done. "He also…  _implied_  that Central was going to go after the exorcists, once this is all over."

Tony's eyes widened, and he hissed.  _"Fuck."_

Clint nodded, straightening up. "Yeah.  _Fuck."_

"…What are we going to do about it?" Tony raised an eyebrow, prompting, and Clint shrugged.

"I dunno. But we sure as hell aren't going to leave them."

It was funny. Less than two weeks, and he already couldn't imagine abandoning them to any sort of fate, let alone one like Central seemed to promise – he hadn't forgotten the experiments, the Second and Third Exorcist projects.

They had to do something. They'd just have to figure out what they needed to do.

Tony nodded at him, once, and then turned back to his armor, continuing to work.

They needed to do something. But first, they had to get through this.


	40. Sharing Memories

"Um… Mr. Kanda? Mr. Lavi? Mr. Rogers? We're here."

Lavi scowled a little and opened his one visible eye to glower at the tentative finder tiredly, and then shrugged to himself and rolled out, yawning. Kanda shifted and rubbed a hand over his face, then shoved at Steve and followed Lavi.

Finally, Steve blinked his eyes open, surprised at himself, and opened his own door to get out that way, so as not to crawl across the entire car.

The finder smiled at all of them in tired understanding, and then led the way to where his companion - Vance, if Steve remembered right, and the one who'd woken them was Gabriel - was opening the door already.

Almost before the door was already all the way open, a woman with straight, dark brown hair down past her shoulders was poking out her head, curious. She saw them, squeaked, and ducked back in.

Steve heard Kanda scoff loudly and had to repress the urge to chuckle, but it was Lavi who slapped his friend's back, grinned at his scowl, and led the way in.

Inside, it was a neat home set up with basic and impersonal objects - a wooden table, a small television (currently off), a nice portrait of a bowl of fruit, and so on.

The woman, who Steve assumed was Rhapsody, was smiling at them shyly, looking slightly embarrassed. She offered a small wave, and Steve noticed the watch on her wrist, a simple one like the one he wore.

"Hello," she said, smile going more confident as Steve shot her a smile of his own and Lavi offered a grin. "You're the exorcists, right?"

"Right," Lavi agreed cheerfully, and Kanda grunted and stalked off to stare suspiciously out the windows. Rhapsody stared after him, startled and a little hurt. "Don't mind him, he's not a people person, if you know what I mean."

Then he went after Kanda to nudge him playfully, but then he started staring out the windows Kanda wasn't, so Steve was pretty sure there was more to it.

Rhapsody looked after both of them for a moment, and then turned her eyes back to Steve. She froze, and then, slowly, started to blush.

Steve sighed quietly, and then offered her a hand and a smile. "Steve Rogers, ma'am."

Still blushing, she reached out, took it, and shook it. "Rhapsody Aries," she returned tentatively. When he made no move to go off like Lavi and Kanda, she continued, brightening slightly, "I… I never thought I'd meet Captain America in person. It's such an honor."

Steve resisted the urge to sigh again and smiled gently. "I'm just another person, Miss Aries."

"Rhapsody, please," she requested, still smiling.

"Rhapsody," he agreed with a smile, sitting down on the couch. She followed a moment later. The other two were still at the windows, doing paranoid things, while the two finders who had driven them there had presumably gone off to sleep, and the two that had remained here bustled around doing productive things. "So, Rhapsody, what happened?"

She deflated instantly, face flushing with shame and biting her lip, looking close to tears just at the thought. "I- well, these monsters - akuma, they said - one saw me, I think, and it attacked, and I think it started a chain reaction, because…" She ducked her head. "I got it, I know I did, but then there were more, and…" She hugged herself, and Steve reached out to rub her back comfortingly. "I don't know how many people were still human before, but now they're all dead whether they were human or not."

"It's okay," Steve reassured her. "You did the best you could."

She bit her lip. "I know," she admitted. "But still…" She glanced at him. "You've been to the Order, haven't you? The Avengers haven't been around lately. Is that where you've been?"

Steve nodded. "Even the Avengers didn't know about this until a few weeks ago," he told her grimly. "But as soon as we did- well, they're supposed to be done soon. We're going to be with them for a little over two weeks, and then, in theory…" He shrugged. "It'll all be over." He smiled. She smiled, too, shakily.

"That's good," she said softly. "What's it like there?"

Steve considered the question for a moment. "The most memorable thing about it is the exorcists," he said finally, smiling. "But really, everyone is quite friendly. And trust me, there are all sorts there." He chuckled. "It's a bit like a family to most of the exorcists, and even to me and the other Avengers, it always feels like we're among friends."

"That's nice," Rhapsody said, with a soft smile. She fingered her watch anxiously. "But… I'm still worried. I don't think I'm good enough."

"No one's a master when they start out," Steve reassured her absently, and glanced down. "May I see your Innocence?"

"Oh!" She brightened slightly and nodded. "Of course! I was really surprised when I saw it, you know - it reminds me so much of your shield." Furrowing her brow, she murmured, "Innocence, activate."

Her watch face lit up, and then a projection like a hologram shot out from it, into a smooth green disk, curved. It was shaped like Steve's shield, but that was where the similarities ended, and Steve looked at it thoughtfully. Rhapsody smiled, picked it up, and twirled it on her finger - something, Steve noted, that she shouldn't be able to do with that technique, so her Innocence was letting her.

Steve smiled and nodded, and she beamed back before releasing it back into her watch.

"Hey!"

Lavi's call attracted both their attention, and they looked at him curiously as he jogged over, eyes intent.

"Yuu and I were thinking that you could teach Rhapsody a little about how to use that before we took off," Lavi told Steve, shooting Rhapsody a seemingly habitual grin.

Rhapsody brightened. "Really?" she exclaimed, and then turned hopeful eyes on Steve.

"I don't see why not," Steve replied slowly, slightly startled and turning questioning eyes on Lavi. "But we're not leaving for a while, so probably not now."

Rhapsody, not deterred in the least, nodded eagerly, and Lavi attracted her attention again and started to talk to her, which was just as well - Steve wanted to talk to Kanda.

"Hi," he greeted as he walked over to help Kanda do his paranoid things.

Kanda shot him a suspicious look - apparently telling him about the Second Exorcist project hadn't made him much warmer toward Steve. "Hey," he returned gruffly.

"What are you looking for?" Steve asked, peering out the window and seeing nothing, though that didn't seem to be deterring Kanda any.

Kanda grunted. "Akuma," he said grudgingly. "Usually they're on top of exorcists like fruit flies on blackberries, and new ones can't always handle it."

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense," he admitted. He moved at an angle so he could actually be a little more helpful instead of staring out the same window as Kanda, but kept within comfortable speaking distance. "What can Rhapsody expect when she gets to the Order?"

"She'll be assigned a master and go through a sped-up version of training so she isn't slaughtered at the battle," Kanda replied tonelessly, and then, more sharply, "What's it to you? More importantly, why are you asking  _me?"_

Steve glanced at him with a slight smile and shrugged. "I'd like to get to know you better," he admitted.

"I'm not your Yuu," Kanda snapped, bristling.

"I know," Steve reassured him. That's why he'd stopped calling Kanda 'Yuu' after he'd explained about the Second Exorcist project. "I mean, I want to get to know  _you."_

Kanda stared at him suspiciously for a few moments longer, then huffed and turned to look out the window again. "What's there to know?" he asked aggressively.

Steve chuckled. There was one distinct difference - Kanda was a lot more belligerent than Yuu had been. "What do you like to do when you aren't on a mission?"

Kanda shot him another glare, and then said, "I train, usually." He considered for a moment, and then continued, "Or I meditate."

Steve was surprised. "Meditate? Really?" His surprise melted into thoughtfulness. "That would be really useful." He chuckled. "Maybe you can teach me sometime."

Kanda looked at him again, but it was more thoughtful than suspicious. "Maybe," he allowed. "Let's get the new girl back to the Order first."

"Right," Steve agreed readily. A moment for thought, and then he said, "You've been an exorcist for nearly ten years, haven't you?" At Kanda's nod, he continued, "You must have some good stories to tell."

Kanda frowned at him. "I'm not much of a storyteller," he said shortly.

"That's fine," Steve reassured him, shrugging. Huh - Yuu had liked telling stories.  _But,_  he reminded himself,  _Kanda isn't Yuu._  "What about friends?"

Kanda tensed, and then relaxed, only half forcibly. "Friends," he muttered, a hint of scathing to his tone. After a moment, his face twisted into confusion, like he wasn't sure quite what to make of the word. And it softened into a very faint smile, and he sighed. "I guess. My master, for one. General Tiedoll." He snorted. "Stupid old man."

Steve smiled and nodded along, noting the slight contrast of his words and tone. Lenalee, Allen, Lavi, Marie, and then, more hesitantly, Johnny, Link, and a very few others.

It was good to know that he had friends. And later, Steve shared some stories of his own, Kanda listened, and-

Steve liked Kanda, he decided.


	41. Mistakes for a Challenge

Loki revised his estimation upward. This mission was  _cartloads_  more difficult than anticipated. He also may have made a slight miscalculation.

Because, Loki realized, he was underperforming. Drastically.

And it most certainly was not his imagination. Loki reacted slower, recoiled sooner, hit softer, and myriad other, equally problematic things, when compared to his shield brothers. It was most disconcerting; even Thor, whose stronger performance was generally nigh unnoticeable and easily accounted for by his love of battle, was overwhelmingly better.

He was beginning to wonder if young Timothy indeed had a point when he claimed that Innocence was 'cooler'.

With one final squeeze, he crushed the akuma he was currently up against (a level three with spear arms) with effort that left him panting. And then, because of the aforementioned underperformance, he felt sturdy hands push him, hard. From the place where he had just been, Thor let out a grunt of pain, and Loki turned, eyes sharp.

Another akuma would have caught him by surprise without Thor's help, and now Thor was frowning at it instead, his right wrist and left ankle tangled in the abominable creature's razor wire. Blood was welling out from where it squeezed too tight, and Thor let out a roar and pulled, using the wire to force the akuma closer, then smashing it shamelessly with his hammer. Effective, if not particularly creative. The akuma shattered into dust.

Loki gave Thor a curt nod and returned his attention to the battle, turning on an akuma with a poison dust weapon that ought to be disposed of sooner rather than later. Fatigue pulled at his muscles, but he ignored it.

A few buildings away, Nyne was moving swiftly, Timothy's limp body slung over her shoulder as she protected it, avoiding blows and indeed, any direct conflict at all, though at some point she had acquired what appeared to be an ice burn. Farther away, Timothy was visible as a random akuma (not the first) attacking its fellows, while the monkey rampaged around, smashing akuma and buildings alike.

Loki turned aside a bodily blow from the poison-gas akuma, smashed its head with a crude, magic-coated fist, and thought of the Hulk. He wondered how General Nyne controlled Lau Jimin. Was it a form of telepathy, enabled by the Innocence, or else an extension of herself? Curious.

"Ow." He shouldn't be allowing himself to get distracted; another akuma had picked a fellow, a level two, and tag teamed him, so he dodged one way and then received a deep cut on his cheek. Loki crushed the level two with a thought and moved on to the apparently electric Three.

Pitiful. He had received stronger shocks from Thor, in the play of their younger days.

Lau Jimin, he noted, was actually sticking close to Timothy, keeping an eye on him. He wondered if it had received instructions from Nyne to do that, or had simply chosen to.

Then he killed the current level three. He could feel a strain on his magic; he would definitely need to look into this, because he had not exerted this kind of effort in centuries.

He glanced over at Timothy and Nyne again. Timothy was approaching General Nyne, a slight expression of pain on the face of the akuma he inhabited, laden with injuries. Another akuma snuck up behind the possessed akuma, and Loki's eyes widened, and his hand reached.

Loki raised the shield just in time; the actual akuma finished off the possessed, which exploded violently, far too close to Nyne and Timothy's body. His protective spell kept off the worst of the blast, although both still received a smattering of burns and cuts. Nyne spared him a glance, and the offending akuma was possessed by Timothy while Loki turned and fended off a blow just in time.

He received his next miniature heart attack when he heard a crash, and turned his head to see Natasha flying  _through_  a wall, smashing it open.

Loki nearly panicked. Nearly. (This was the downside to working with the Avengers - humans were so desperately  _fragile,_  and he worried.) But within moments, Natasha had returned to the battle, slightly unsteady and bleeding badly from her head, but diving right back in nonetheless, eyes intent and deadly as usual.

Loki turned his attention back to his own battles and finished off yet another akuma. His breath came hard, chest aching, and a matching pain flared in the base of his skull - his magic was not meant to be used to this extent, and with a much smaller group at hand, it was becoming an issue.

"Brother!" Thor landed next to him and offered a broad grin, and Loki managed a wry one back. "Come, do battle with me!"

Apparently Thor was getting worried and was not as oblivious as Loki had hoped. Loki nodded at him nonetheless, and Thor grinned at him and then turned to face a trio of oncoming akuma.

It was a bit easier to battle with Thor, but Loki disliked that he could not keep an attentive eye on his brother as he usually did. He disliked it more when Thor paused to warn him of an incoming blow, and took a blow to his head as punishment.

Loki took out the offending akuma in savaged vengeance, and Thor, apparently unbothered by the gash now in his forehead, grinned at him again, and they set upon the remaining two, dispatching them in minutes.

And then a voice, high, childish, cold and clear, broke through the chaos.

"Well, doesn't this look like fun?"

Loki's head jerked up, and he looked to find a child, sitting on an umbrella topped with a dismayed pumpkin, smirking down at them all infuriatingly.

"You should have invited me," the little girl continued. "I would have come sooner."

"Road," Nyne hissed, summoning Lau Jimin to herself with a gesture. Timothy followed, unprompted.

"General," Road replied, smirk widening.


	42. Dust Town

Rhapsody’s hometown was a depressing place to see. It was completely pristine in some places, utterly abandoned, and lightly coated in dust and pentagrams. Other places were half-wrecked, the ground dark grey with disease and buildings broken and crumbling.

They couldn’t see any of this from where they were, though; they were in the trees, and Steve was showing Rhapsody how to throw her disk, using one thick tree, a tall, long-needled pine, as a target.

“Then flick your wrist, and…” Steve threw, and his shield buried itself in the bark, slightly crooked but right in the middle. “Okay?”

Rhapsody bit her lip. “Um…”

Steve chuckled slightly and crossed the clearing to retrieve his shield, then stepped aside. “Never mind. Give it a try.”

Rhapsody flicked her wrist. Steve ducked behind his shield, and her bright green disk clanged off of it. She ‘eep’ed. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Steve said ruefully, emerging from his hasty cover. “Not so hard next time, alright? Aiming is just as important as force.” He shook his shield, checking it – still clear of dents, good – and smiled. “You seem to have force down fine, so just practice aiming at that tree for a while.”

She nodded, still bright red, and summoned her disk – neat trick – to try again.

Meanwhile, Steve had noticed something rather important and crossed to where Lavi was very cleverly pretending not to be keeping watch.

“Have you seen Kanda?” he asked the redheaded boy, concerned. “He hasn’t been around for a while.”

Lavi shrugged, eyes still scanning their surroundings in an almost paranoid manner. “Nah. He’ll be back before you know it, you’ll see.”

Steve wasn’t so sure. “I’m going to go find him. Look after Rhapsody, will you?”

Lavi flashed him an absent grin. “Sure thing, Capsicle.” Tony was teaching the exorcists bad habits.

Nonetheless, Steve gave him a grateful smile in return and went to go find Kanda.

He didn’t like looking at the town – it told him how badly he’d failed, it almost screamed it from the rooftops, accusing and cursed. He unconsciously straightened as he walked, slowly absorbing everything as he passed it by – the dust coating the ground, the blackened stars, the crumbled bits of building strewn at the feet of broken homes and businesses.

The clothes lying innocently in the middle of the street.

He found Kanda in a playground, sitting on a faded blue bench, expressionless eyes on the unoccupied structure, the slide and the swingset and the monkey bars. In one hand, Kanda rubbed a bit of cloth between his fingers; there was a sundress, bright yellow and printed with large, silhouetted flowers, the size of a full-grown woman, on the bench beside him. It had been full of dust, but the motion of Kanda’s fingers was making it tumble to the ground, some lingering in the lines of his fingerprints.

The playground was lightly saturated with the poison gas Steve remembered from the first mission, making it hazy and slightly indistinct, but it didn’t seem to bother Kanda at all. Steve covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, lips forming a grim slash, and went to sit beside him.

“You’re stupid,” Kanda said bluntly, not looking at him as Steve sat down next to him, looking around apprehensively. “Leave, before you get sick and die.”

“No thanks,” Steve mumbled around his sleeve, smiling a little. Kanda snorted, but didn’t contest him any further.

For a long few moments, they were both silent, and Steve was just beginning to wonder if Kanda was waiting until he really was sick, before the younger man spoke.

“There were probably just one or two akuma.”

Steve turned to look at him, curious. Kanda’s neutral face had gone pensive, and maybe a little angry, too, and a little sick. Steve’s face softened; he recognized the look. He felt the same way when a teammate went down, or when the Avengers didn’t get there fast enough and people died, and he felt the same way now.

He was a little surprised that Kanda was talking about it, though. At least to Steve.

“It started here,” Kanda continued, gaze roving the playground again. “And abruptly. Some of them didn’t even have time to react.” He lifted the yellow sundress in example. Steve wasn’t even sure Kanda was really talking to him.

“Why are all the clothes empty?” Steve asked quietly, though he had his suspicions. Magic did horrible things sometimes. “Why are there no bodies?”

Kanda started slightly, and looked at him with a frown. “The disease contained in akuma bullets renders human flesh necrotic,” he said finally, releasing the dress and clenching both his fists in his lap. It looked painful. “Within thirty seconds, they crumble to dust.” He reached up and tilted one of the silver buttons away from Steve, exposing the back, where Steve could just make out the words ‘Kanda Yuu’. “That’s why exorcist coats have our names on the buttons. If we get ourselves shot, they need a way to identify the remains.”

Yes, that would explain it. Steve deflated slightly and closed his eyes to the dust around him.

There was a lot of it.

Kanda watched him for a few moments, and then picked up where he’d left off. “The kids didn’t have a chance – they rarely do. They would have scattered, but they wouldn’t have known how to hide, or where to run, or to duck for cover. Not most of them.” A short exhale. “It would have taken out the parents first. Always does. If there’s one thing akuma know how to do, it’s kill.”

Kanda lapsed again into brooding silence, and when Steve finally opened his eyes to look at him again, he found him looking around the playground once again. Steve did, too.

Little sets of clothing – dresses, shirts, skirts, shorts, even shoes and socks – were bright against dusky bark chips, but the color was dulled by the dust. Steve’s eyes, bright blue, landed on one particular place, where a red shirt and a jean skirt half-covered two little sets of clothing, tiny shoes causing bumps in the smooth fabric.

Kanda looked beside him, meeting Steve’s saddened gaze with a mirthless smile.

“So this is what we’re supposed to be fighting for, huh?” he murmured. His fists were still clenched tight – too tight to shake. “They like to tell us we’re saving the world. I don’t think they know what they’re talking about.”

Steve’s gaze drifted back to the remains of the mother and her children, blown away in the wind. “They might not,” he said quietly. “But we do.”

“Hmph.” Kanda stared hard, following Steve’s gaze to a little, bright orange t-shirt, and then, after a few moments, softened. “You’re an idiot. Now come on. We should leave before you inhale any more dust than you already have.”

He stood up, and Steve tried to laugh but coughed instead, which made Kanda give him a sardonic look. Steve smiled unapologetically, and Kanda rolled his eyes before leading the way back to the small park where Steve had been training Rhapsody.

Lavi grinned and waved when they got there, and Steve smiled back before going to check on Rhapsody, while Kanda joined Lavi, talking too quietly for Steve to make out without concentrating.

Rhapsody was still hard at work, sweating slightly, a light of determination in her eyes. Steve glanced up at the tree she was aiming at and smiled; she was making good progress. Her aim was by no means perfect, or even good, but Steve would wager that she could hit an akuma on a consistent basis. Those things were huge, after all.

Soon enough, Kanda finished talking with Lavi (by bonking him over the head, leaving the other boy whining dramatically) and came over to examine Rhapsody’s progress critically.

Rhapsody looked slightly hopeful, and Steve waited, wondering what Kanda was up to. Finally, Kanda stepped back and nodded decisively.

“It won’t do for any real fights,” he said finally. “But that should be good enough to get you to the Order. Come on, let’s go.”

Rhapsody brightened and nodded eagerly. “Thank you, Kanda!” She turned and gave Steve a beaming smile. “And thank you too, Captain!”

“It was no trouble, miss,” Steve smiled back, and Kanda strode ahead to grab a still-whining Lavi by the back of the coat, shoving him forward roughly.

“We’re leaving, rabbit. Time enough to whine when we’re at the Order.”

“Yuu is so mean to me!” Lavi whined, and Rhapsody giggled. “Rap, Rap, help meee.”

The mirth faded quickly as soon as they could see the town again, and Rhapsody went suddenly very quiet. Steve glanced to the side in concern and found Rhapsody with her head down, biting her lip, trying very hard not to look at anything around her. Steve’s eyes softened with sympathy; he knew what it was to have your world crumble around you, to have your loved ones die in what felt like a day.

It only got worse as they went farther, and soon enough, Rhapsody looked close to tears, shoulders shaking minutely. Steve took it upon himself to distract her, and fell back to match her pace, trusting Kanda and Lavi to notice and not go too far ahead.

“What did you used to do?” Steve asked her, making her start and look up, eyes still shining with the threat of tears.

“I was an engineering student,” Rhapsody said belatedly, once she’d had a moment to process the question. She smiled a little. “I wanted to work for Stark Industries, actually, when I graduated.”

Steve smiled at her encouragingly, and her smile steadied a little, growing in confidence. “I’m sure Tony can arrange that,” he told her, who brightened almost instantly.

“Really?”

“Really,” he chuckled. It was the kind of favor Tony did for people he liked, or even people who’d just done him a favor. He was pretty sure helping to save the world counted as a favor.

“We’re here,” Lavi called over his shoulder, interrupting with a wave. As he spoke, Kanda was poking his head back into the shelter, probably scowling, though Steve couldn’t see him.

“Hey, finders. We’re ready to go.”

Steve wasn’t listening to their response, but he would bet it was hasty and frantic, and the sudden sounds of scrambling supported this idea, making him chuckle a little.

Soon enough, the two fingers emerged from the safehouse, and all of them piled into the car – a van with just enough room to carry them all comfortably. The two finders were at the front, with Kanda and Lavi in the middle row and Steve and Rhapsody at the back.

“Ready to meet the Order?” Lavi asked Rhapsody with an easy grin, throwing his arm over the back of the seat as the van started up. Rhapsody nodded hesitantly, offering him a little smile.

“Yeah, I think so.” She hesitated a moment, and then asked, uncertain, “Um… What’s going to happen once we get there?”

“You’ll be assigned a master, probably one of the generals,” Lavi explained instantly, green eye focused on her, finger tapping the seat back until Kanda slapped at it irritably, at which time Lavi withdrew it hastily. “Capsicle will probably help with your weapons training, though, since yours is so much like his.”

Steve offered Rhapsody another encouraging smile, and Rhapsody smiled back on instinct, still a little tense and worried.

“What are they like, the generals?” she asked Lavi.

“Well,” Lavi considered, holding up his fingers to count them off. “Yuu’s one-”

“Don’t call me that!”

“-but not getting an apprentice was a condition of his rejoining the Order, so you won’t have him.” Rhapsody looked relieved. Lavi grinned at her.

“My friend Allen, he’s another, but you won’t have him ‘cause he just got an apprentice and even that’s a bit of a stretch, since he hasn’t been an exorcist as long as most of the other generals and, uh, other reasons.” That made Kanda scowl and Steve wince, while Rhapsody just looked politely puzzled. “Then there’s General Cross – no chance you’ll get him, the only apprentice he’s ever taken is Allen, and there’s just no way. No offense.”

Rhapsody looked a little confused. Steve couldn’t blame her.

“Zokalo’s bloodthirsty and you look kinda delicate, so you probably won’t get him.” Now she looked frightened. Lavi grinned, and it didn’t look so kind at all this time. It was gone quickly, though, so maybe it was Steve’s imagination. “There’s Nyne and you might get her, but I think she’s pretty preoccupied with Timothy.”

“Who will I probably get, then?” Rhapsody asked, apprehensive. Steve was wondering the same thing.

“General Tiedoll,” Lavi said decisively. He jerked a thumb at Kanda. “He was Yuu’s master, and he’s pretty nice. Er. Tiedoll, not Yuu.” Rhapsody stopped looking confused. “He takes more apprentices than the rest of the generals combined, and he’s just finishing up Chaoji’s training, so he’d probably love to take you on.”

Rhapsody smiled tentatively. “He sounds alright.”

“You’ll love him,” Lavi assured her. “Even Yuu does, though it’s a trick to get him to admit it.”

“Shut up, stupid rabbit!”

“Like I said, a trick.”

They laughed, all of them but Kanda, and for a while, they kept talking. The finder in the driver’s seat pulled over and the two switched, and eventually, Rhapsody fell asleep. It wasn’t long before the rest of them followed, the night sky twinkling above them.

 

 


	43. Investigative Measures

Tony was fidgeting, walking through the hall and compulsively spinning a pen he'd picked up somewhere between his fingers. It was a blur, not that he saw it - Tony's eyes were fixed straight ahead, but he wasn't really looking.

Inside, his mind was racing. There were too many problems to address and too little information to address them with; Tony detested it. Not to mention the obvious time constraints - the (currently 16-day) limit was starting to feel suffocating, and Tony was beginning to chafe under the pressure.

Still, there were two that stood out above all the rest: survive the month, and…

Tony's thought process was interrupted as he reached the cafeteria. He was hungry, again, and very, very hungry at that. Think later.

It was busy in the cafeteria; he'd chosen a bad time. He disregarded this with an almost rabid level of cheer and waved at Jerry, grinning. "Jerry, my man!" he called out.

Jerry looked up and smiled at him, waving past the long line of waiting finders. "Tony, dear!" he returned happily. "We missed you at breakfast! Lots of cheeseburgers and lots of fries?"

"You got it," Tony confirmed, and he bypassed the line entirely to sit next to Krory, who was already eating - a fairly normal amount, unlike Tony, because, as the man had explained one time, he got most of his nutrients from akuma blood. Yum.

Tony started tapping the pen on the table instead, absent-minded. Krory started slightly and looked at him with a slightly shy smile.

"Hello, Tony," he greeted, earning himself an absent smile in return.

"Hey. Krory, right?" Tony sounded casual, but his heart still wasn't in it. And it was a stupid fake-question anyway, since they'd spent a few days in the infirmary together.

"That's right," Krory confirmed with a nod and a wry smile, and then continued, "How do you like the Order so far?" They hadn't spoken much; one or the other was usually preoccupied.

Tony shrugged, chuckling dryly. "Well, the people are certainly friendly," he said honestly, mind drifting slowly away from the problems at hand. "But I admit it'll never be my favorite place. Don't know how any of you manage to stay sane with a job like this, but I guess I'm not one to talk." He winked, making Krory surrender an amused smile. "I think the Avengers have got you beaten out in weirdness."

"Certainly so," Krory agreed with a wince and a laugh. "You must be very adaptable, with such a  _wide_  range of enemies."

"Some of the best," Tony said cheerfully - and damn, did they need it here, though he didn't say that. "What about you? What do you'll do when you're done?"

Krory ducked his head and smiled a little. "Well…" He thought about it, and slowly, his smile melted to a pensive frown. "Really, I… don't actually know what I'll do, when we're done. If I survive."

Tony hit him lightly. "Don't talk like that," he chided. "If I'd been Cap, you'd have gotten the sad eyes, and trust me, you never want to see those, they're horrible." Wait, was he being _comforting?_  That wouldn't do.

Krory smiled at him weakly, but straightened up anyway. "I know this isn't what… what you normally do, but… I wanted to tell you we really appreciate it." He smiled at Tony, bright and almost innocent. "You're a big help around here."

Tony stared at him and felt strange. "Right…" he muttered, briefly struggling for a response. Deciding he wanted nothing to do with this emoting business, he said, "Well, I know one thing that won't be happening, which is people dripping sad all over the place. How do you people deal with it? It's giving me a headache." Krory was giving him a mildly incredulous look. Good. "I'm serious!  _It's suffocating._  Ew, ew, someone needs to bottle it and give it to the Noah so they fall over and kill themselves." Stifling laughter. Tony grinned. "What, are you  _laughing_  at me? I'm being serious here!"

"Tony, honey!" Tony heard, and he got up to go get his food, thanking Jerry with a grin and receiving a kind smile in return, and by the time he returned, Krory had mostly recovered, though he was still snickering off and on, surprised at Tony and at himself, eyes sparkling.

Tony sat down again and starting eating, again pondering those… rather problematic problems. Speaking of which.

"You didn't have a lot to say the other day," he said offhandedly. Krory, now finished but content to stay and talk, gave him a quizzical look. "When we were talking about Central."

Krory jumped and looked around anxiously. Interesting. Tony raised an eyebrow and looked back to his food.

"...No," Krory admitted hesitantly.

"Why not?" Tony prompted. "You seem the shy type, yeah, but you're loyal enough. I'd think you'd have some pretty strong opinions on some of the things they did. They haven't exactly been fluff'n'cuddles with your friends, have they?"

Krory bared his teeth slightly, showing a hint of the terrifying vampire Natasha had mentioned to Tony. "No," he said, with dislike heavy in his voice. "I don't like them at all." He glanced away, more resentful than frightened. "But I try to stay out of their business. Whenever an exorcist confronts them, they just seem to get worse." He looked at Tony, a little worried again. "I'm not sure the kids can handle worse."

Tony just barely refrained from saying that Krory himself wasn't a whole lot older. Instead, he clapped Krory on the back and grinned, now finished with his food. "I'm sure they can," he said confidently. "They're tough, I'm sure you've noticed. It's a little disturbing."

Krory smiled again, looking reassured - at least a little. "I suppose." He shrugged. "Besides, I'm… not that good with people. Not like Lavi and Allen are, at least."

Tony had noticed that, too. "Well, they're politicians and also assholes. They don't deserve diplomacy. But I see what you mean." He considered for a moment, and then asked, "How do you like it here?"

Krory smiled brightly. "It's wonderful," he said, tangibly delighted. "Before I came here, I'd never had friends, but now there's Allen and Lavi and Lenalee and a great many others!" Tony laughed at the younger man's enthusiasm, and Krory continued, "And it's great to be able to be useful to them, as well. I'd feel awful otherwise, really."

Tony understood the feeling, of wanting to be useful, and of liking just the feeling of being so, completely aside from praise. (Which was also very nice, on the occasion that he received it.)

Speaking of being useful, had anyone actually told Coulson about anything they'd found out lately? The assassin twins had probably been in contact, but, well. It couldn't hurt to check.

He stood up and stretched a little, his arc reactor drawing Krory's attention for a split second before it returned to Tony's face, curious. "Speaking of which, I got things to do, people to see. See you around, Krory." He winked. "And figure out a plan, alright? Don't want you to flounder around after the Order wins, that'd be just pathetic."

Krory smiled a little, uncertain. "I'll do that," he promised. Tony nodded at him and turned to walk away, purposeful and intent.

Right, enough playtime. No one ever said that Tony didn't do his job as an Avenger.

* * *

When Tony found Coulson, it was in a small, out-of-the-way room, leaning over a table with Link, who looked at least as focused as Coulson was. Tony considered that both mildly alarming and an achievement - when Coulson took something seriously, which was usually, he took it  _very_  seriously.

There was a pile of small strips of paper in the middle of the circular table, and a number of little, discarded ones strewn around it. Odd, since both agents were very organized people. Link was pointing at a strip of paper in his hand, showing it to Coulson, who held a pen and another piece of paper.

"The Binding Wing spell's effectiveness increases linearly with each additional spell tag," Link was informing Coulson, watching closely as the SHIELD agent meticulously copied the symbol on the younger man's tag. "It has uses in battle and also in a prison or similar setting, but that requires more precision and thought-"

The click-thump of the closing door attracted their attention, and Tony plastered on a casual grin as they looked up, distracted, Coulson with a furrowed brow and Link with a sharp eye.

Apparently his mask was no good around these two, though, because Coulson almost instantly looked borderline concerned, the crease in his brow deepening, and a small frown pitching in as he took in the hero's stance.

Link glanced from Tony, to Coulson, and then back, almost too quickly for either American man to catch, and then stood up, smooth and graceful. "I need to check on Durov's training," he announced. "They should be hard at work at around this time. Excuse me."

And then he strode from the room, closing the door behind him with a deliberate movement and not so much as a glance back, leaving Tony and Coulson alone.

Coulson set his pen and paper aside and turned around to frown at Tony a little more, which made Tony feel like a child come to tell their parent what they did wrong, which made him feel petulant. "Stark? Something wrong?"

"Spells?" Tony asked instead, looking at the paper. "I'd heard something about that, but I didn't believe it. How does it work?" He wrinkled his nose at the thought of magic, but prolonged exposure to Loki had dimmed his minor hatred into mild resentment.

"Life force and blood," Coulson answered without missing a beat, which made Tony look at him sharply. "Most of their magic does, apparently. But that isn't what you came to talk to me about."

Coulson wasn't getting away that easy, and the assassin twins  _would_  be hearing about this. For now, though, Tony considered the room for a moment, then turned back around and locked the door, making Coulson's eyebrows rise. He considered the room again and decided he wasn't satisfied, then took his phone out.

"JARVIS," he called, clipped and a little tense.

_"Sir?"_

"Check the rooms for bugs, would you? I hate bugs. All up in your business." His gaze flicked up. Coulson was looking increasingly concerned.

_"All clear, sir."_

"Thanks, J." He put the phone away and strode across the room to drop into the chair Link had previously been occupying, arms crossed, face serious. Coulson quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Satisfied?"

"Not really," Tony snarked back, frowning at the ceiling. "How much have Legolas and Nat told you?"

Coulson's gaze sharpened substantially. Definitely something, then. "Romanov told me that you'd found some rather worrying projects associated with the Order, but she said that you hadn't found much just yet. Then Barton mentioned some even more worrying plans for the exorcists. Is that what you're referring to, Stark?"

Tony shrugged, carefully keeping his eyes wandering and as carefree as he could. "Yeah, that's about the bulk of it, glad they kept you informed."

Coulson nodded. "So am I." Tony glanced over just in time to find Coulson looking up and down, gaze sharp. "It's their job to keep me informed, after all. However… If you felt the need to, perhaps I should pay it a bit more mind." Coulson looked up again and met Tony's gaze evenly, and Tony raised one eyebrow expectantly. "I'll speak to Fury about it."

Tony held his gaze, and then looked away. "Great. Awesome." He shifted, looked at the door. "In the Third Exorcist project file, it was referred to as the 'Artificial Apostle' project, so if you could keep your ear to the ground as well, that'd be excellent. I don't think it ends with the Second and Third Exorcist projects." He quirked an eyebrow at Coulson, who looked grim, and then stood up and sauntered back over to the door, satisfied.

Tony unlocked it with a click, and then froze when Coulson said sternly, "We're not finished here, Stark."

Slowly, Tony turned around and leaned against the door, raising an eyebrow. "We're not?" he said skeptically.

Coulson almost smiled, unfairly amused. "Your Innocence, Stark. Any change?"

"Oh." Tony crossed his arms and gave him a petulant look. When Coulson didn't give, he sighed. "Yeah. I can hear its voice now - Allen mentioned that might happen, so I'm not actually going crazy. And I got a new invocation, so it's not just the armor." Coulson looked curious. Tony elaborated, without thinking, "I can now manifest any weapon I can think of. 'Merchant of Death', it's called."

Huh. He hadn't even paused to  _consider_  not telling him. Apparently, he trusted Coulson a lot more than he'd realized. It was almost disturbing.

Coulson nodded in acknowledgement, thoughtful. "Anything else?"

Tony shrugged. "No. But apparently the new invocation means I've powered up." He waved his hand vaguely. "Again, Allen. Really hope that guy actually knows what he's talking about, else I'm in some deep shit." He grinned a little. Coulson gave him that look like he did when he knew Tony was bullshitting. Tony ignored it.

For a few moments, both of them were silent, and then Coulson said suddenly, seriously,

"Be careful."

Tony was startled, visibly so. Then he recovered and offered an easy grin, stepping away from the door. "I'm not a child," he complained playfully.

"Supernanny techniques work on you," Coulson reminded him, lip twitching a little in amusement.

"There's cartloads of Youtube evidence that I am very much an adult," Tony retorted, and they would have continued on for quite some time, had the door not opened again and silenced them.

Link had apparently finished checking up on Allen and Alexei, but he wore a slightly troubled expression that made Tony instantly suspicious. He crossed the room to return to his chair, met Coulson's gaze squarely, and said, almost hazardously pointed,

"The Binding Wings seal is one of a very few things which can prevent an Innocence from being used." He looked down and took a new piece of paper, sketching out a symbol. "This symbol will release it, whether you began the spell or not. It is held and activated with a thought." He held it out to Coulson, eyes serious, and Coulson took it with a very slight nod.

Tony smiled tightly, turned, and left the two agents to their business.

Well, at least they had one Central agent on their side.


	44. Trouble Spot

"Romanov."

In a moment, Nyne was in front of Natasha, and Lau Jimin was bounding back, Timothy drifting behind, apparently nervous. Nyne thrust Timothy's limp body at Natasha, eyes serious. Not for the first time, Natasha noticed the scars splattered across one side of the other woman's face.

"Take care of him."

Natasha mentally listed all of the things that could go wrong and felt that Nyne's trust was very much misplaced. Still, she nodded and took the little boy, holding him over her shoulder in the same way Nyne had. "I'll be careful," she promised. She felt dizzy from her encounter with the wall, and blood still ran down her neck, but she could do this.

Nyne nodded once, and Lau Jimin finally reached her. Without missing a beat, Nyne slung herself up onto Lau Jimin's back, riding him like a jockey at a race, hands fisted tight in his fur. "Go," Nyne told the beast, and he ran for Road, who just looked on, amused, making no move to stop any of this.

"Such a fuss," Road teased, watching Thor fall back in front of Loki. "I'd almost think you were  _scared._  What, General?" She tilted her head. "Don't you want to play?"

"I'd very much like to play with you," Nyne replied coolly, stopping just short of Road's hovering place and considering her options. "If only I believed that you would play nicely."

"Ah." Road nodded decisively. "You're one of  _those."_

Nyne finished considering her options and, without so much as a whispered command, Lau Jimin lunged forward, swatting out at Road, who dodged easily, while her pumpkin-umbrella screamed in dismay.

"No, lero! No, no, no! You're not to challenge the generals, Miss Road, Master Earl said sooo!"

"Hush, Lero," Road said absently, grip tightening dangerously. The umbrella shut up.

Just as well, because Natasha, trusting General Nyne to keep Road occupied, returned her attention to the akuma around her. One arm was now occupied keeping Timothy in place, his warm weight heavy on her left shoulder, but her dominant hand was free; she could still shoot.

Thor and Loki were sticking together; Loki was visibly lagging, and Natasha spared half a moment to be concerned. Out of all of them, Loki was usually the last to be fatigued, though it did happen.

Timothy was darting around, shifting akuma every few minutes and leaving his previous one to explode. He kept looking at Nyne, but he wasn't approaching; possibly he'd received instructions not to do so.

Or maybe he just had good sense.

The akuma were still coming thick, with an empty space where Road was easily dodging around Nyne's clumsy beast. Powerful Lau Jimin may be, but he was not made to hit small targets.

There were three akuma currently surrounding Natasha; she considered briefly before shooting the first, directly in front of her, and using that as a platform to leap onto, and then shot the other two. She spun around again, shot an akuma behind her, and turned to shield Timothy's body from the small explosion, which showered her with debris. Blood wells up from small nicks across her face and neck.

Somewhere, Timothy screamed, high and short and frightened. Natasha spun, startled.

Nyne had been thrown off of Lau Jimin and was climbing back on, with a gash across her back and a disapproving scowl on her face. Road was nowhere near her.

Natasha spun around, shot a clown-like akuma that was coming too close, and fired three shots into a puke-green level three before it burst and she found Road.

Road had, apparently, found Timothy, currently in the body of a deep-rose level three, stepping back from her with a defensive posture.

"Hello, little boy," Road crooned, with a voice that cut through the chaos of smashing metal and crumbling brick. A ways away, Thor savagely buried his hammer in a dark aqua level three, and Loki trapped another, mud brown, where it stood. "Will  _you_  play with me?" She moved forward. Timothy moved back. "Will you bring your friends?" She reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him forward. A strangled yelp escaped him, strange in the akuma's voice. "I had a friend, too. His name was  _Neah."_

The akuma's face twisted strangely. "What do you mean,  _friend?"_

Road smiled, and then she vanished, Lau Jimin's fist smashing where she'd been moments before. Nyne cursed under her breath and looked at Timothy. "Are you alright?"

Timothy nodded quickly, and then he ran off on axe-wielding legs.

Minutes passed, and the akuma started to thin, almost imperceptibly. Natasha harnessed a fast-flying akuma that couldn't get her off and shot other akuma as she passed, holding tight to Timothy's unconscious form.

"Get  _of_ f m _e_  you bi _tch!"_  came the akuma's strangely distorted voice, and she glanced down, then rapped it sharply on the head.

"Keep going, or I'll shoot you somewhere that won't be pleasant but won't kill you."

It kept flying, but Natasha suspected it wasn't because of her threat, due to the way it started rolling, forcing her to grab on.

A yell - Thor, Natasha recognized distantly, and she shot the akuma in the head before tumbling neatly to the ground, absorbing the blow without transferring it to Timothy. Then, and only then, did she look up.

Loki was startled; he was wavering back, eyes intent and wary, and Thor was in front of him, blatantly blocking, and with a candle buried in his bicep, making him grit his teeth in pain. Road bared her teeth in an unfriendly grin.

"I  _wanted_  to speak to your brother," she said quietly. Natasha ducked away, out of easy line of sight, to listen. Nyne was approaching, but Road didn't seem to mind.

 _She moves too fast,_  Natasha thought warily.  _Nyne isn't prepared for this type of enemy._

Road smiled sweetly, and Thor growled, low and fierce. "Have you ever had a little brother try to kill you, Thor?" She made a face as if surprised when both Thor and Loki winced. "Oh, wait." She grinned, and twisted the candle to force Thor aside, then passed by him to get to Loki, who took a step back, lips twisting slightly, wary but not afraid.

Road tilted her head and smiled. Thor made to stand and attack, but a glance from Loki made him stand down, knuckles white as he clutched at Mjolnir, the lines of which glowed angry lime.

 _"My_  littlest brother killed my whole family," she said conversationally. Loki's brow furrowed in some confusion, and then he connected the dots at the same time Natasha did.  _The Fourteenth._ "Are you going to do that, too, alien?"

"I would never," Loki said at last, green eyes sharp. "Never again. I am not a monster, Miss Campbell."

Road smiled, and it almost looked genuine. "Neah was the sweetest little thing once," she said cheerfully, kicking her feet as they dangled from her perch. "I miss him."

And then her form changed. A wrinkled, bony face emerged, with fangs in her mouth, burning hot eyes that blazed with light, and coal-colored skin. Like something out of a nightmare.

She held it for one, two, three seconds, and Loki inhaled sharply and stepped back, startled.

Then she was back, smiling at him, just a twelve year old little girl.

She disappeared, and Nyne snarled, and Natasha flinched back, alarmed.

Road was right in front of her, thoughtful, head tilted.

And then, slowly, she smiled, wide and delighted. Natasha stared back, gaze even and mind racing. She wasn't quite cornered, there was, in fact, a nearly open route just beside her, and there were very few akuma left, one or two or three-

Road reached out and pinched Natasha's cheek, playful, and Natasha stilled. Her fist tightened over Timothy's body, but she didn't move.

"I  _like_  you," Road said, with all the glee of a child with a brand-new toy. "I think you'd be  _fun."_  She let go and patted Natasha's pale cheek, smiling brightly. "I promise I'll come back for you."

Natasha inhaled sharply, and said, as lightly as she could manage, "If it's all the same to you, I think I'm a little old for games."

Road laughed, and drifted back a little, umbrella bobbing back and forth, whimpering. Then the little grey girl looked up, and she sighed, pouting.

There were no more akuma, Natasha noted distantly. Just an eerie silence and the smell of noxious dust.

"I suppose I have to go now," she said airily. Behind her, a door opened, and she hopped off Lero, turning toward the door. Natasha didn't dare move forward; she knew when she was outmatched.

Just before Road left, she looked over her shoulder at Natasha, smiled, and winked.

Then she walked through the door, and it shut behind her and vanished.

Natasha let out a long, shivering breath.

* * *

**16 Days to Invasion**


	45. Madness

"Nyne!"

Nyne paused, rolled her eyes, and sat up a little, cocking an eyebrow at the intimidating, dark-skinned man entering the infirmary. "Zokalo. What do  _you_  want?"

Zokalo gave her a shark-toothed, broad grin. "Hey, don't be pissy, lady. Just came to see if someone really injured your hard ass. The hell happened, Nyne?"

He plopped himself down beside her bed, made himself comfortable, and grinned at Thor, who grinned back.

Thor was sitting up on the bed beside Nyne's, his deeper wounds being healed by Loki, who looked pensive. The younger Asgardian was uncharacteristically quiet in a way that couldn't be put down to focus.

"A Noah, Road, dropped in on my mission," Nyne explained, tone clipped but eyes fond, if slightly exasperated. "As it turns out, Lau Jimin and I aren't equipped to fight a target like her." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'll have to remedy that."

Zokalo cackled. "I'm sure you will, lady. Hey, Thor!" Thor looked at him quizzically, and he grinned. "Up for another spar? You're not a half-bad fighter."

Thor smiled apologetically. "Mayhaps later, friend. For now, I am still injured, and I believe Loki would have strong words for me if I accepted."

"Sissy," Zokalo chuckled, crossing his arms. "Fine, later."

At that moment, Loki finished healing Thor and withdrew, still quiet and frowning. With no conversation, this fact was more obvious, and even Nyne looked at him with a frown of her own, sheets rustling as she shifted to look at him. Thor grinned at Loki in thanks, but it quickly faded, replaced by a furrow in his brow. "Brother? What ails you?"

Loki started, and then a broad smirk, amused and completely fake, flashed across his face. "Nothing, Thor. Simply marvelling at your clumsiness."

Thor looked concerned and also completely unconvinced, but Loki turned, nodded at Nyne and Zokalo, and headed out the infirmary door.

Useless. Loki had been  _useless,_  and it didn't sit right with him. He'd lost his right to be useless when he attempted to destroy Midgard.

As soon as feasibly possible, he'd speak with Komui about this.

"Hey, alien!"

Rapid footsteps echoed behind him, and an irritated frown creased Loki's face. He glanced over his shoulder. "General Zokalo," he greeted coolly.

Zokalo caught up to him and smirked, settling into an easy stride to match Loki's pace. "Relax, I just want to talk to you. Loki, yeah?" He grinned again and Loki's cautious nod. "So you're the one who led the alien invasion."

Loki's face shut down, but his gaze didn't waver. When he spoke, his voice was tight and controlled. "I was. I assume you have strong words for me?"

Zokalo laughed. "Nah, not me. I was on the cleanup crew, and trust me-" He clapped Loki on the shoulder, smirking. "-it might've been weird, but it wasn't anything special, really. Don't get too full of yourself."

Loki brushed his hand off absently. "Nothing special?" he repeated, soft and venomous. "People were killed, General, because of me. I understand this happens often, Midgardians are painfully fragile, but  _I_  do not take such things lightly." A small scowl maligned his features. "Less so, now, knowing what I do about  _your_  foes."

A cleanup crew, hm? It seemed logical, and painfully efficient. A disaster, such as his attempted takeover, caused death and tragedy, and these inevitably created akuma. So, without even waiting, the Order sent a team of exorcists to clean it up.

Of course.

Loki wondered how high his death toll really had been.

Zokalo shrugged. "Yeah, akuma are shits, but hell, they give me something to do with my life. Always liked killing things. And they're a pretty good way to judge just how bad something was, 'cause it's not like anyone's gonna out and  _tell_  you."

Loki frowned at him, disapproval dripping off of him as he was distracted from his brooding. "Is that how you judge all disasters?" he asked doubtfully. "Based on the akuma they create? Does the death itself not bother you at all?"

"Yep and nope," Zokalo confirmed, not looking the least bit bothered. "See, far as I'm concerned, death happens. Nothing to worry about, really. My job is killing akuma, and everything else? Not my problem."

Loki eyed Zokalo warily. "That is an… interesting perspective," he said carefully.

Zokalo shrugged. "Yeah, I know it's nonstandard. Used to be a serial killer, kill count of twelve. The Order promised to take me off death row if I agreed to be an exorcist." He grinned. "They called me 'Madness', same as my Innocence. Ironic, innit? Madness ain't killing humans anymore."

Loki's gaze lingered on him, thoughtful now rather than alarmed. For a few moments, all they heard was the bustling buzz that permeated the Order's headquarters.

"Do you regret it?" Loki asked finally, soft and pensive.

Zokalo snorted. "Nah." His wrinkled nose and half-smirk faded into an almost thoughtful look, gaze drifting to one side. "Wouldn't do it again, though. Something about working for the Order takes all the fun out of it." He shot Loki a grin. "I'm all spoiled now. Gotta have a  _purpose."_

"Why are you telling me this?" Loki had to ask, frowning at the much, much younger man.

Zokalo shrugged again, and his smirk returned. "Who the hell knows?" he asked unconcernedly. "Maybe I just felt like talking, bastard alien."

Loki considered him thoughtfully.  _Midgardians will never cease to surprise me, will they?_

"I regret it," Loki told him abruptly, making Zokalo raise an eyebrow at him, looking only vaguely interested. "And I feel myself indebted to Midgard for what I have done." A moment of hesitation, and then he smiled slightly. "I underestimated you."

Zokalo laughed uproariously. "Fuck, of course you did. Everyone does." He grinned at Loki, who looked amused and slightly startled. "That's why we're gonna win, see. The Noah? They're just that kind of stupid, too."

A small smile, wry and amused, curved Loki's mouth. "Is that so."

"Bet your ass," Zokalo smirked. Then he clapped Loki on the shoulder again, turned, and started to walk off. Just before he rounded the corner, he paused and threw over his shoulder, "If you find you can't solve your little problem normally, go find the Lee girl. Ask her about the Artifical Apostle experiments. Then ask yourself how much you want to help."

Without another word, he left, and Loki was left deep in thought again.

There seemed to be no end to the surprises of the Black Order, either. And they were not of a pleasant nature.

He'd go speak to Komui first.

* * *

"A serial killer, hm?"

Zokalo started slightly and turned to look at Natasha, who had appeared out of the shadows in a way he hadn't seen anyone else do. He considered her, shrugged, and nodded with another smirk. "Yeah, that's right."

"I didn't realize the Order had that kind of influence," Natasha commented, sliding in beside him, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Or that they hired that sort of person."

Zokalo shrugged.

"If you think there's anything the Order can't or won't do, you're wrong," he said frankly, with a hint of a scowl. "Trust me, it's a damn good thing that they generally want to save the world, not conquer it." He paused to consider, and then added offhandedly, "Might not turn out so well for  _us,_  though."

"I heard," Natasha agreed, and then skated neatly over it, returning to his previous conversation with Loki. "You don't feel at all indebted after what you did?"

Zokalo snorted and spread his arms in a broad gesture. "I think I've paid it off a hundred times over," he answered, with a half-proud smirk. "And hell, I didn't care that much in the first place. Did you?"

Natasha considered a moment, and then allowed, "Not then." She looked to the front, finger tapping her thigh restlessly (but only because she let it). "Do you have plans? For after?"

Zokalo shrugged. "Not really. Like I said, I don't plan to go back to killing for fun, 'cause it just ain't that fun anymore." He paused, and then looked at her sidelong. The smirk had vanished again. "Say, what's that place you work for? SHIELD?"

"Yes," Natasha confirmed, not letting her surprise show.

"Huh." Zokalo shrugged one last time. "Well, I got people to see, lady. Do you?"

"I do," Natasha admitted, thinking somewhat mutinously of Coulson, and the two of them parted ways.


	46. The Face of Rejection

Loki stared at Hevlaska, took a deep breath, and stepped forward, inclining his head. "Good morning, Lady Hevlaska," he greeted. Komui stood beside him, face solemn and hands clasped behind his back.

Hevlaska, tall and towering and a blinding snow-white, smiled at him serenely. "Loki. I understand... that you wish to receive... an Innocence?"

Loki inclined his head slightly. "That is true, yes. I have found that magic cannot make up the difference, as I thought it could."

Hevlaska nodded, slow and steady. "Many find… that Innocence exceeds one's expectations." A moment for thought. "You may see them, but I… make no promises."

Loki frowned slightly, but then Hevlaska picked him up and let him down in the small nest of raw Innocence cubes, each pulsating with a radiation-green light that sent shivers down Loki's spine.

He knelt down and reached for one… and found that he could not touch it.

His eyes widened slightly, alarmed, and he glanced over and tried to reach for another, worry growing in his heart.

Above, Komui was leaning over the railing, frowning down in concern, and Hevlaska was nodding, disappointed.

Loki tried for twenty minutes, every spell he could think of, and then finally sat back. For a long moment, he was still, and then he finally said,

"They will not accept me." It was not a question. Hevlaska answered anyway.

"No. They do not like... your magic, or the form you offer, or even... the opportunity. It will take more... than this, Loki."

Loki sighed, forehead in one hand. "Perhaps this is what the General…" He trailed off. He needed to speak to Lenalee. "Very well. Thank you, Hevlaska. I may speak to you again at a later date."

Hevlaska nodded, and lifted him back up to the elevator before he could do it himself. "You're welcome, Loki, and I apologize for… your troubles."

Loki grimaced and shrugged. "It is my repentance," he said self-deprecatingly. He looked at Komui. "Chief Komui, if we may?" He glanced up.

Komui nodded, and directed the elevator upward. "What are you going to do?" he asked quietly. Loki shrugged.

"I was given direction by General Zokalo; he seemed to expect this." The exorcists had a very interesting comprehension of the Soul Stone's whims; Loki had to wonder sometimes. "I believe I will follow those and see where I am led."

Komui nodded. "That might be for the best, yes." Then, abruptly, he spun around and beamed at Loki. "Or, you could poke around the science department!" He looked very hopeful, and Loki had to chuckle. Sometimes it was easy to forget how young these people were, even for Midgardians. Other times… not so much.

"Perhaps," he allowed fondly. "If my first plan does not work out."

"Well, I hate to hope for your failure," Komui said with a wink. "But…"

"Oh, be silent, Chief."

* * *

Lenalee, as it turned out, was on one of the training floors, weaving and darting through the air, passing through a series of obstacles hanging from the ceiling. The swish of speed was audible even from where Loki stood, and he was reluctantly impressed; Tony certainly couldn't have managed many of those maneuvers.

He had business here, though, and he refused to let himself become uninvolved - even with his ability to heal, he would not be satisfied. He refused to be reduced to a healer of hurts; Loki was not a complacent man, and he would not stand by.

"Lady Lenalee," he called up to her, and she spun neatly in midair, looking down at him curiously. Upon finding him, she smiled brightly and landed with a clatter in front of him.

"Hello, Loki," she greeted, breathing heavy, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, which she reached up and wiped away, violet eyes bright. "What's up? You seem worried."

"I do not know if you have heard," he said, slightly haltingly. It pained him to admit this; his chest felt tight. "But I was having some…  _difficulties_  on my last mission."

Her smile faded and her eyes grew concerned. "What kind of difficulties?"

"I was underperforming," Loki explained with a self-deprecating frown. "And not in an ordinary sort of way, mind you. Because of this, I took it upon myself to seek out an Innocence of my own. However…" He trailed off, grimacing. Comprehension dawned in Lenalee's eyes.

"They rejected you," she said softly, and he nodded. "Why would they do that?"

Loki shrugged. "I know not. Perhaps they found me prideful. Perhaps they disapproved of my past deeds. It could be anything, really."

Lenalee nodded solemnly, but she still looked slightly confused, shifting on her still-active Boots. "What did you want to talk to  _me_  about, though?"

"General Zokalo," Loki said, cautious and measured, "told me to ask you about the Artificial Apostle experiments."

Lenalee's eyes widened dramatically, a flash of fear going through them, and Loki met her eyes evenly. Whatever it was…

"The Artificial Apostle experiments?" she whispered, looking almost frightened just at the mention. "But…" She bit her lip. "Well, if General Zokalo mentioned them, he  _must_  think you'd survive…"

"Lady Lenalee," Loki said sharply, returning her anxious violet gaze to him. "Tell me."

Lenalee took a deep, steadying breath and nodded. "The Artificial Apostle experiments were a series of projects. The Second and Third Exorcist projects were two of them." She hesitated, and then continued, "The ones General Zokalo was referring to were probably the same ones I witnessed, a few years after I came to the Order."

"You can't create an exorcist," Loki recalled, gaze sharp and discerning. Lenalee nodded.

"That's true, but you can come close, as it turns out. It's a horrible idea, of course." She grimaced. "In the ones I saw, they would take the relatives of exorcists and implant Innocence into them. But all of them Fell."

Loki started; he remembered what he'd learned about Falling, from flashes and inference of the Soul Stone. "It's quite dangerous, then."

Lenalee nodded quickly. "Very. I wouldn't… But, well, General Zokalo seems to think it would work." She shrugged helplessly. "It's up to you, I suppose."

Loki nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you, Lady Lenalee. I will think on this."

Lenalee nodded at him again, looking uncertain, and then, as he turned to leave, took off back into the air, returning to her training with maybe a little more fervor than before.

* * *

Chaoji was annoyed with himself.

Well, actually, he'd been in a perpetual state of 'annoyed with himself' since Allen had returned and proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he really  _was_  everything the rest of the exorcists thought he was. Chaoji was annoyed and embarrassed that he'd been so wrong, and so  _loud_  about it, so that it was  _obvious._

But that wasn't the point! The  _point_  was that he was annoyed with himself,  _again,_  because the Avengers had been there for almost two weeks, and he still hadn't worked up the nerve to try and talk to the Hulk.

Well. To Bruce.

And, Chaoji decided, there was only one was to address this.

"Hi," Chaoji said brightly, plopping down to sit across from lone Bruce at lunch.

Bruce blinked at him, surprised, and slowly put down his (fifth) sandwich. "Hi," he said slowly, visibly confused.

"I'm Chaoji," Chaoji explained, holding out his hand and refusing,  _refusing_  to feel nervous. "One of the exorcists. You're Bruce, right?"

"That's right," Bruce affirmed cautiously, shaking Chaoji's hand and finding himself surprised by the strength in his grip - it was almost on par with one of Thor's. "Why?"

To Bruce's surprise, a broad grin broke out over Chaoji's face, enthusiastic and excited. "Awesome! I just, um…" A bright blush spread across Chaoji's face, and Bruce raised one eyebrow, curious despite himself. "I wanted you to know that I'm a big fan of the Hulk."

That was, perhaps, one of the things Bruce  _least_  expected to hear. Thor had fans. Steve had fans. Tony had fans (and the press). The Hulk? The Hulk had General Ross. "Really?"

Chaoji nodded eagerly. "Yeah! 'Cause he's strong, like I am, and…" He ducked his head, looking a little less eager and a little more embarrassed. "He reminds me that heroes make mistakes, too."

Bruce rested his chin on one fist and looked at Chaoji thoughtfully. He had… mixed feelings about this. "Steve can't use a blender," he said mildly, wondering why he was sort of sabotaging himself. "Thor can't be subtle to save his life. Tony blows up his lab at  _least_  once a week." He wasn't going to mention Loki. Or Natasha.

Chaoji squirmed. "Well, yeah, but… those are  _little_  things."

There was more to it, then. "What did you do?" Bruce asked directly, without modifying his tone. (Bruce was  _not that kind of doctor,_  by the way.)

Chaoji looked up quickly, looking guilty, fidgeted a little, and then confessed, in a whisper Bruce could barely hear, "I used to hate Allen. I thought he was nothing but a Noah, a stupid Noah who should just go die, and I  _told_  him so. I told  _everyone_  so. But I was  _so wrong."_

He looked ashamed, and he couldn't meet Bruce's eyes. Bruce waited for what he considered to be an appropriate amount of time before he asked,

"Do you still think that?"

Chaoji shook his head furiously. He looked a little like he was going to cry.

Bruce smiled. "Then you learned from it. That's a good thing, Chaoji."

Chaoji stared at him for a moment, looking small and regretful, and said, "Oh."

Bruce chuckled, retrieved his sandwich, and took a bite.

"Hey!"

Both Bruce and Chaoji looked up to see Clint striding toward them, feigning boredom.

"Are you Chaoji?" Clint asked the Chinese boy. Puzzled, Chaoji nodded. "Komui wanted to see you; you've got a mission with Loki, Thor, and one of the generals, uh, Tiedoll."

Chaoji's eyes lit up and he fairly leaped out of his seat. "I understand!" He turned to Bruce, pressed his hands together, and bowed. "Thank you very much!"

Then he turned and ran off. Clint raised an eyebrow at Bruce, who shook his head with a small smile and then went back to his meal.

Chaoji… seemed like a good kid.


	47. Map Quest

"This is a map of Edo as it was last recorded," Komui explained, handing the neatly folded paper to Loki. "It's around four hundred years old, I'm afraid, but, well." He smiled sardonically. "Somehow I doubt there's been much construction."

Loki inclined his head in acknowledgement, tucking it away. "Of course. What do you wish us to do?"

Komui sobered again. "There's a high probability of the battle leaving the confines of the Black Ark. If that happens, it's most likely to end up in Edo. I need the four of you to chart out anything that seems vitally important - areas made inaccessible by akuma or damage, disease zones only the parasite types can enter, entry points, and so on."

Tiedoll smiled at Komui and nodded. "Of course," he agreed easily. "We'll be back tonight."

"What is it for?" Chaoji pitched in, curious and eager, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Extraction," Komui clarified. He smiled cheerfully. "You exorcists always batter yourselves into unconsciousness, so we'll need to send someone to get you out afterwards."

Tiedoll chuckled softly. Loki did not think it was funny.

Chaoji smiled and scratched the back of his neck bashfully. "Oh."

Thor laughed heartily and clapped Chaoji on the shoulder, offering Komui a broad grin. "Worry not, friend Komui. We will chart the way."

Komui chuckled as well. "Thank you, Thor. Chaoji, do you remember how to get to the Edo door, or do I have to send for Link?"

Link did not like Chaoji. Chaoji nodded quickly, and Komui smiled slightly.

"Then I'll see you all tonight!" he said cheerfully, letting no trace of doubt show itself.

* * *

Stealth was not a trait found in a typical Asgardian. Most were loud, brash, and openly defiant. Fortunately, Loki was not a typical Asgardian.

Thor, on the other hand, was the  _quintessential_  Asgardian.

Chaoji yelped softly as Thor clumsily collapsed a pile of rubble, and Thor cringed with embarrassment as Loki shot him a scathing look.

"No harm done," Tiedoll reassured Chaoji without looking up, marking down the disease zone they'd just skirted. "Move that back, won't you?"

Chaoji nodded mutely and, with a brief green glow at his wrists, hefted the fallen piece back into place; Loki wanted to take no chance of being noticed, and Tiedoll agreed fullheartedly.

"Impressive," Loki observed, looking over the short, squat exorcist thoughtfully. "Is that your Innocence's ability, then?"

Chaoji started, gave him an alarmed, uncomfortable look, and nodded reluctantly. Loki glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Have you words for me?" he asked, reaching out with his senses to see which of the streets ahead were clear of akuma.

It had become a habit of his to invite others to vent at him, both as a means of recompense and a way to allow grievances to be aired and thus set free. Even now, he did not feel angry or beleaguered, simply weary.

To his surprise, Chaoji started, looked guilty, and shook his head quickly, more so when Thor looked back, a visibly disappointed dimness to his eyes. "No! no, I mean, um-"

"Chaoji has a history of misjudging people," Tiedoll interrupted, offering Chaoji a gentle, patient look. "He is trying to be better, so please do forgive him."

Chaoji ducked his head, nodding shamefully. Thor looked at him for a moment, and then smiled and placed a broad palm on his head, causing Chaoji to peek up hesitantly.

"Worry not, shield brother. I, too, am not proud of the man I once was. If you try, you will improve."

Chaoji blinked, and then, shyly, smiled back.

"If you're still worried about what Allen thinks of you," Tiedoll put in with a kind smile, "I can ask him if you and I might help him with Alexei when we return."

Chaoji considered this, and then nodded. "Okay! Let's do it!" he said determinedly.

Tiedoll smiled at his enthusiasm and marked out the area they had just avoided, bustling with far too many high-level akuma. "I only wish Komui had let me take him," he added wistfully. "But Marian insisted that Allen take the boy."

"Have you taken many apprentices?" Loki asked. He indicated a nearby disease zone, and Tiedoll marked the edge they could see.

"More than I can count," Tiedoll replied, with a wry twist to his mouth. "Of them, Noise, Yuu, and Chaoji still live."

Loki gave a solemn nod of understanding. "I see. I apologize if I caused undue distress."

"Not at all," Tiedoll promised, giving him a curious look. "Being as old as you are, I suspect you have plenty dead of your own."

Loki sighed. "That I do," he admitted. "And many more regrets, at that. It never does get any easier."

For a few moments, they were all silent. Tension was still high as they took pains to avoid akuma and hide their presence. Above, the giant cube of the Black Ark loomed menacingly.

"Oh!" Tiedoll exclaimed suddenly, making the rest jump. He smiled at Loki's irritated look. "I have been meaning to ask. What is Asgardian art like?" Loki gave him a bemused look. Thor chuckled as quietly as he could manage. "I draw and paint, when I have time. I was an artist before I was brought to the Order."

Loki studied him for a moment, thoughtful, and then returned his attention to their surroundings. "Asgardian artists are masters of their craft. They work at their art for hundreds or thousands of years, so they have ample time to practice. They don't tend to be nearly as inventive, however, and an era in art can last for millennia-"

Mapping out Edo was as tedious as such a dangerous task could possibly be. They talked to pass the time, slowly relaxing even as they avoided akuma and stretches of pentacle-speckled ground, outlining danger zones and safe and clear places.

This was a mistake, and had Loki been alone, he never would have made it.

That helped nothing, however. The stray akuma still came, and Loki still caught it too late, reached to still it too late, had Thor kill it too damned late.

The akuma, Tiedoll had warned them, were the Earl's eyes and ears. Even if you kill the akuma before it can escape, he's already seen you.

Chaoji paled, Tiedoll's expression turned grim, Loki flinched, and Thor growled, holding onto his hammer.

 _Too damn slow._  Loki cursed himself.

They kept moving, but within minutes, Loki sensed the chilling presence of what could only be two Noah, and he felt his limbs stiffen and stretch against his will. He heard Tiedoll curse quietly.

"Now, now. Don't you know it's rude to invade others' homes?"


	48. Slam Dunk

_"Wah!"_

The finder in the driver's seat slammed on the brakes and sent them careening off the empty road. Steve shut his eyes and tensed as they tumbled into the ditch by the highway, and heard a thump and a muffled curse from Kanda. Lavi yelped, and Rhapsody let out a short scream.

Then they were still again, and Steve opened his eyes warily.

Kanda was sitting up, scowling and rubbing the side of his head; his hand came away smeared with blood. "What the _fuck?"_  he snapped.

"What happened?" Lavi put in from the back, frowning at the front seat. The finders were already opening the doors, and the driver looked back, wide-eyed.

"Akuma," he explained quickly. "In the road."

For a moment, they stared. Then Rhapsody squeaked and started scrambling to unbuckle her seatbelt, Kanda cursed again and pushed his way out, and soon they all emerged.

Sure enough, a small crowd of level ones loomed over the surface of the road, and they were already swiveling their guns to point at them.

For an exorcist recruitment, this was pretty standard. They had, in fact, been expecting this just about the entire time. So it didn't take long for Kanda to react, springing forward with his katana already forming in his hands. Lavi grabbed his hammer and spun it to life, using it to block the incoming barrage.

Steve reacted slightly differently, grabbing Rhapsody and ducking behind his shield to ride out the wave of bullets. He activated his shield with a thought, and soon enough, the clang of bullets on vibranium stopped.

He straightened up and glanced back at Rhapsody, concerned. She was wide-eyed and pale, but still determined, and her hand was already on her wrist, activating her Innocence.

"Ready?" Steve asked her. She offered him a weak smile and a shrug.

"As I'll ever be," she replied, and he turned and dove into the fray.

Level ones weren't that hard to beat, as akuma went. If you had Innocence and could kill them  _at all,_  they weren't any harder than a basic Doombot.

They were deadlier, though.

Struck by a worried thought, Steve glanced back to the finders.

They were hiding behind the car, fiddling with something, and too late, Steve saw a few stray bullets heading for them.

"Look out!" he snapped.

Finders, he had learned, weren't trained for battle. There was no point. Apparently.

They looked up too late and got shot, and instead of blood from the wound, all that Steve saw was the rapid spread of stars. One of them met his eyes, terrified and stricken, and then he turned grey and crumbled to dust.

Dust that would have fit in perfectly at the town they just left.

"Shit," Steve bit out, looking away before he was sick.

The individual akuma weren't hard to beat, but there were an awful lot of them, and bullets everywhere. Steve took every conceivable measure to avoid them, because frankly, he wasn't about to let this mission reduce him to dust. He still had a lot to do.

Kanda was ripping through them easily, of course.  _Like he'd been born for it,_  Steve thought wryly.  _Oh, wait._

Lavi was doing nearly as well, though his hammer was a much clumsier weapon than either Steve's shield (which bounced between up to five or ten akuma at a time before returning to his hands) or Kanda's katana. Rhapsody was visibly struggling - Steve wondered how many akuma there had been in town, overall.

He kept an eye on her, anyway. Steve had to admit, he was a little worried.

It took some time, but eventually, the akuma started to thin out, and there weren't quite so overwhelming. Steve slowed down a little, taking stock of the situation.

Lavi looked a little scraped up; he must have taken some bad falls. Kanda was fine, of course, with only traces of blood in only a few places. Steve's shoulder hurt where he dove and scraped it across the hard pavement.

Rhapsody was lagging, he noted, but more or less intact. He was impressed.

Then he saw an akuma take aim at her and, without thinking, lunged forward.  _Not on his watch._

The akuma fired, and Steve was still feet away. Lavi turned, single eye widening, and Kanda whirled, slicing through one of the last akuma while Steve sent his shield bouncing between the few that remained, and let his shield clatter away out of reach.

Rhapsody froze, eyes widening as the stars spread rapidly up her arm.

"Kanda!" snapped Lavi.

Kanda saw it as soon as he did and didn't miss a beat; he snatched her arm, jerked it out, and, with his free hand, he cut it off below the elbow in one smooth slice. Steve moved fast, following that up by grabbing the stump, doing his best to staunch the bleeding before he even had time to think about it.

But the stars didn't stop spreading. When Steve got the nerve to look back at her face, he paled sharply.

She looked terrified, and rightly so; the same stars that had been spreading up her arm were covering her face, and now there was hardly any skin color left beneath the dark grey.

"I… I can't…" she stuttered, and Lavi cursed colorfully, and then she turned black and burst into dust.

For a moment, all of them stared. Steve recovered first, slowly drawing his hand back from where he'd been trying to stop the bleeding of her arm, which was now the least of her problems.

"There was another bullet in her shoulder," Lavi said finally, stepping back, voice hollow. "I saw it just as she disintegrated."

"Seconds," Steve muttered, remembering what Lavi had said before. Then he took a deep breath and looked at Kanda, who was shaking with what looked like fury, a snarl stretching across his face. Worry overtook his expression. "Kanda?"

Kanda stepped back once, twice, and then he turned and screamed at the sky, making Lavi and Steve jump. His fists were clenched tight, and his voice echoed across the landscape with the force of his rage.

"You know what?" he screamed at the sky, eyes wild, snarl dark. _"Fuck you!_  We don't need more exorcists anyway! We'll defeat the Noah _by our own damn selves,_  and there's  _nothing_  you can do to stop us! We'll win if it takes every single breath we have left in our bodies, every drop of blood and sweat! Just you wait!  _Just you fucking wait!"_

Ear-ringing silence followed his outburst, until at last Steve stepped forward and put a hand on Kanda's heaving shoulder. Kanda shrugged it off roughly, but he did turn to look at him, still scowling ferociously.

Steve considered for a moment, and then, finally, said, "We'll win. Don't you doubt it for a moment." They had to.

"Of course we will, weren't you listening?" Kanda snapped, and he turned and stormed off down the road. Steve took another look at the dust across the road, the empty clothes, and leaned down to pick up the watch.

"You need this, right?" he asked Lavi without looking.

"Yeah," Lavi said quietly. "We do."

Steve pocketed it and felt numb.

_We... failed._


	49. Step Forward

Natasha was looking for Miranda.

The former assassin wouldn't admit it, but while she wasn't nearly as compromised as, say, Tony or Steve, she did catch herself worrying about some exorcist or other, once or twice or more. It was… unusual, to say the least, and a little disconcerting.

It meant that they were  _that_  sort of people, the kind that were far, far too easy to get attached to. Natasha hated those sorts of people; they were dangerous in her line of work.

Most of the Avengers were like that, too.

As it panned out, Miranda was in one of the training rooms, sparring gently with Noise Marie. Her form, Natasha observed, was awful, of course, but, for someone who had started only a few days before… acceptable.

Miranda spotted her before Natasha could call out, and her surprise caused her to overbalance at the wrong moment, and she nearly fell. Marie reacted quickly and caught her before she could, taking the moment to nod at Natasha in greeting.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and crossed the room to stand in front of them. Miranda flushed with mortification and scrambled to stand upright, looking at Natasha with wide, hopeful eyes.

"M-Ms. Romanov!" Miranda stuttered, surprised.

"Natasha," Natasha corrected, meeting her gaze thoughtfully. "You were doing pretty well for a beginner." A small smirk flicked across her face. "Well. Until you fell."

Miranda blushed and squeaked. "I-I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," Natasha dismissed. Marie was still watching her. She addressed him. "Would you mind if I borrowed Miranda for a bit?"

Marie smiled slightly. "Not at all."

Natasha smirked, and Miranda squeaked again in combination anticipation and fear, and Natasha led her to another corner of the room, out of the way.

The next hour passed in a rhythmic lilt, Natasha picking up where she'd left off, appreciating what Allen had apparently contributed (moment of distraction aside, Miranda's balance really was much better), and doing her best with what time she had.

The Black Widow's best was very, very good.

Then the hour was up and, if Coulson and Link had remained consistent, they were done for now and heading for the cafeteria. That was Natasha's cue. She and Coulson were due for a  _talk._

"Marie," she called, spinning around sharply as Miranda straightened, confused. "Take over practicing with Miranda. I've got a bit of work to do."

Marie nodded, but as she started to leave, he approached her rather than Miranda. Natasha frowned at him, but stopped, waiting.

He stopped just beside her, clasped her arm briefly in a gentle grip, and said quietly, "Thank you."

Then he let go and moved past her, on to help Miranda. Natasha watched him thoughtfully, and then a small smile curved her lips and she chuckled, soft and rueful.

Yes, far too easy to get attached to.

* * *

As expected, Coulson was in the cafeteria, eating alone; Link had most likely gone to check on Allen again and would come for lunch in another ten minutes, meaning Natasha had that long to confront him.

Easy.

Natasha noticed that, as she slid in beside him, Coulson was keeping a carefully bland expression.

"Romanov," he greeted mildly, turning his head to look at her. "Good to see you. Have you tried the dango yet? Allen recommended it. It's very good."

Natasha was not amused.

"Stark told me," she said, not breaking her gaze and letting the tension of her shoulders and the seriousness of her eyes do her work for her, "that you're making rather free with your life force."

Natasha and Coulson had been working together for years, and would hopefully continue to do so for years more. She preferred to be more direct with him than with most, and it also, fortunately, got the best results.

Coulson understood this, so he gave her his full attention and a serious look of his own.

"This is about the CROW magic," he said. It wasn't a question.

Natasha didn't reply. Coulson wasn't stupid.

He sighed, low and heavy.

"The Avengers are one thing," he said at last, grim and honest. "You're all adults, and you know what you're doing. Most importantly, you made the  _choice_  to do this."

He didn't have to continue; Natasha understood.

But she also remembered a room full of girls, training, training, training-

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "So you thought that throwing your life away would help with that."

Coulson smiled guilelessly. "Yes, I did," he agreed. "At the risk of sounding like a kindergarten song, we all have to do our part. I decided I wasn't satisfied with mine."

She tightened her jaw. It was a slight movement, and no one but Clint or Coulson would have noticed. Unfortunately, Coulson was the one she was talking to. "You don't need to contribute any more than you already do."

His smile softened slightly. She forced herself to relax. "Thank you for saying so," he said politely.

Natasha disapproved of Coulson replying to her honestly with bullshit. She sighed and stood up.

"If you die from this, I'll never forgive you," she informed him. He had the gall to chuckle.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Natasha was going to leave - and there was Link, right on schedule - but Nyne saw her first and called her over, and with a dry smile and a roll of her eyes, Natasha turned and went there instead.

There were only two people at that end of the table: Nyne and Cross. Natasha dropped down and cocked an eyebrow expectantly, leaning on the table like it was the most natural thing in the world. Apprehension knotted in the pit of her stomach, though; if Natasha had to pick out the two most political exorcists…

Cross had a bottle of wine in one hand; he tossed back a sizeable amount of it in one gulp, then put it down and looked at her with a strange little smile.

"That agent of yours," he said at last, "is pretty interesting."

Natasha's posture didn't change in the slightest, but her eyes flashed dangerously. "Is that so? Most people don't think so."

Cross smirked. Prudently, Nyne broke up the budding confrontation by leaning forward, almost as casual as Natasha. But she wasn't as good at hiding her tension. "You know, there used to be far more adult exorcists than there are now," Nyne told Natasha.

Natasha had no idea where this was going, but she wasn't about to admit it. "That's a surprise. What changed?"

Nyne shrugged. Lau Jimin chittered on her shoulder. "Who knows? Things got worse, and many of the adults exorcists died, but most of the children survived." Her expression darkened. "The point of this, however, is that there is an inherent difference between the adult exorcists and the children exorcists."

Natasha raised an eyebrow expectantly. "And that would be?"

"I used to be a scientist," Cross told her, seemingly apropos of nothing.

It took a moment. Then Natasha got it. Her mouth tightened.

Sometimes she forgot that it wasn't normal to have your path determined for you.

"I hear Komui tried to teach his sister some," Nyne continued, casual as anything. "But she wasn't around often enough, and the Order didn't give her a very good base. It was quite a surprise that she survived as long as she did." She chuckled dryly. "Perhaps they've realized that youth is quite an advantage; they've let Timothy take his lessons, so I expect that he'll be just fine when he gets out of here."

"And the rest of them?" Natasha asked, following now.

Cross shrugged and took another long drink. "My stupid apprentice learned some math and shit from his foster father, and he knows how to read."

That didn't sound optimistic at all. "Are the rest any better?"

"Nope." Cross smiled, a grim, bitter slash.

Natasha considered this, and then nodded slightly. "Alright." She was certain SHIELD could be  _convinced_  to help the younger exorcists find a place in society, even if it took some effort. If she needed help for any reason, Tony would be thrilled to put some pressure on them, and Steve could throw around his sad eyes. She nodded at Nyne, no sign of her plans crossing her face. "If Timothy is fine, what about Alexei?"

Nyne shrugged. "It hasn't occurred to Walker that Alexei needs an education. I'm not sure it occurred to Walker that  _he_  needs an education." She rolled her eyes. "Ultimately, it depends on how long Alexei attended school, but I don't expect he'll be far behind."

"My idiot apprentice hasn't thought about it," Cross confirmed, sounding very annoyed about it. He swung back the bottle again and, briefly, Natasha wondered if he was trying to drown himself. "Don't think he's realized there  _will_  be an 'after' yet."

 _He doesn't expect to survive,_  Natasha translated mentally. It was things like this that made her wonder how Steve and Thor were coping.

"He  _is_  pretty damn determined to make sure  _his_  stupid apprentice survives," Cross tacked on, with a self-satisfied smirk.

Well, that explained Cross' determination to make Allen Alexei's master.

Nyne rolled her eyes, but her smirk was fond and told Natasha that she understood this perfectly, and Cross gulped down the last of his wine, slammed the bottle on the table, and stood up.

"Speaking of the idiot apprentice," he announced, "I'm gonna go make sure he isn't fucking up. See you 'round, Nyne, Nat."

"Natasha," Natasha corrected, with a very bland smile that generally meant she'd like to kill you.

Cross laughed, but it came out a little more nervous than the man might have liked. "Right, Natasha. Remember not to fuck up before I see you again."

He left the two women at the table, studying each other in that way he tended to hate, and headed for the training room Allen liked to use.

Allen, Cross observed, had very  _interesting_  training methods.

His current tactic was apparently to swing around the ceiling - when had he gotten someone to hand up trapezes? - without Crown Clown's aid, even, and throw balls at Alexei while Alexei tried to shoot him. A few scorch marks on Allen's clothes - not his uniform at the moment - showed that Alexei had succeeded a few times, but the boy looked frustrated enough to tell Cross he still had a ways to go.

"What the fuck, stupid apprentice?" he yelled up, watching Allen twist in midair to avoid a shot. "I thought you weren't  _actually_  a monkey!"

"Shut up, stupid Master!" Allen yelled back without missing a beat. He chucked another ball at Alexei, who dodged, pretty impressive given Allen's throw; Cross could see bruises from where he'd been hit before.

"You can't simulate fifty akuma by yourself, idiot apprentice! You can barely manage one, you're so damned slow!" Cross sniped back. Alexei twisted around to give him a horrified look.

"Do not give him any ideas! I cannot even do _this!"_

Too late - Cross had to hide a smirk as Allen paused, thoughtful, and then he cackled aloud as Alexei noticed the blunder and took the opportunity to shoot him. Allen winced when it exploded against his skin and threw a ball in return, which Alexei ducked, and then went on.

"Then I'll get some of the others to help me later!" Allen countered, scowling at him even through his next flip. He caught the bar of another trapeze and continued, "Lenalee and Marie could do it, and Kanda on the ground."

"You are trying to kill me," Alexei complained, pouting. He got hit with a ball for that.

"You'll make it through the battle even if I have to drag you out," Allen said fiercely, silver eyes gleaming with determination. Cross smirked to himself; he'd known this was a good call.

Alexei looked up at Allen, hesitated, and then nodded, renewed determination that reflected Allen's glimmering in his eyes. He lifted his slingshot again.

Cross chucked one of the fallen balls at Allen. It was heavier than he'd expected, which explained the bruises.

"Don't fuck up, idiot apprentice," he called up.

"Don't you have other things to do, stupid Master?"

Cross grinned to himself and left. Yeah, Allen'd be fine.

* * *

Tony glanced up as someone entered his room and grinned. "Hey, Brucie! What's up?"

"Mission," Bruce explained, hands in his pockets and face in a small, dry smile.

Tony's smile faded, and he nodded, eyes turning serious. "I'll be right out."


	50. Escort

Libya, Tony reflected, was the polar opposite of Russia, and he had never been so glad to  _not_  need to haul his armor around. In this heat, his hand would have fused to the metal by now.

His arc reactor felt very smug. Tony decided that it was way too much like him.

Tony was thinking of that right now, smug Innocences and Russia and the weird sway of the camel he was riding, and he  _wasn't_  thinking of the dust in his clothes or the heat on his back or the too-familiar burn in his chest-

He felt a hand on his elbow and almost flinched, but no. No, it was only Bruce.

"You okay?" Bruce's eyes were concerned. His cheeks were slightly flushed with heat, and his hair was sticking to his forehead, slicked with sweat.

Tony grinned at him. It was a little harder than he liked. "Never better." His voice was almost as dry as their surroundings.

Bruce eyed him skeptically, but before he could speak, Zokalo did, addressing Natasha in a voice that would have echoed if it weren't vanishing into the heat.

"So what're we doing here, Romanov? C'mon, the suspense is killing us." He paused, snickered, and added, "And the sun."

Natasha rolled her eyes and reached for the folder, keeping her balance one-handed. The only sign that the heat was affecting her was the sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Kammun's seen an unusual number of hallucinations recently," she said to all of them, eyes flickering rapidly over the paper. "There's been a dense, hot mist over the whole town, and one of the finders has reported seeing a green glow." She closed the folder and tucked it away again. "They say there's a low akuma population, maybe two or three, so it should be an easy mission." Which made her instantly suspicious. There were no easy missions - not anywhere, and definitely not here.

"Then what am I doing here?" Bruce wondered.

Zokalo smirked and laughed out loud. "Probably keeping me in line! Me and Walker aren't allowed to go on missions by ourselves, see." He chortled. "Good to see they think I'm as big a risk as a Noah vessel."

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "I thought you were a general. Aren't generals normally allowed to roam?"

Zokalo snickered. "Well, most of 'em. Me, I'm a flight risk, and a hazard to boot. Can't track me down, can't overpower me, and they sure as hell didn't want me ending up like Marian, so I get an  _escort."_  He looked entirely too amused by the whole thing.

"Somehow, I don't think that would do much if you really wanted to run," Bruce murmured, and Natasha agreed.

Zokalo snorted. "Not usually! But hell, even I'm gonna think twice before facing down an enhanced Hulk. I'm bloodthirsty, not  _stupid."_

"More than a lot of people can say," Tony quipped, all thoughts of Afghanistan gone from his mind. At least for now.

Zokalo smirked. "What about you, Stark? Ever faced down the big guy yourself?"

Bruce paled sharply at the thought, and Natasha grimaced, thinking of a memory. Tony just shrugged. "Nope. Usually it's either me or Natasha calming him down." He had contingency plans, though. He always did.

"Thor's in charge of wrangling the Hulk if he can't be calmed," Bruce added, voice tight and carefully controlled. Tony immediately decided to change the subject.

Zokalo grinned. "Sounds like a good fight. Almost makes me wish we weren't on the same side."

"You're nuts," Tony told him, but he was laughing.

"I bet you're no better," Zokalo countered, raising an eyebrow mockingly.

"He isn't," Bruce confirmed, long-suffering. Natasha chuckled quietly. Zokalo, by contrast, cackled.

"Oh, I bet Head Nurse  _loves_  you."

Tony huffed indignantly. "I don't see what's wrong with repairing my armor with broken ribs! She didn't have to get so upset about it." He shivered violently at the memory.

"The same thing that's always been wrong with it," Natasha deadpanned.

"Head Nurse's crazy like that," Zokalo agreed, and then grimaced. "Don't tell her I said that."

Bruce smiled a little, amused. "Even you're afraid of her?"

 _"Everyone's_  afraid of that woman."

"No kidding," Tony muttered.

* * *

The finders, a dark-skinned woman named Ami and a coffee-toned man called Alan, met them quite some way from the town. This, Ami explained, was because the hallucinations were quite vivid, and it wasn't worth risking it.

What 'it' was, Tony didn't know.

She was right, though. The closer they came to the town, the brighter the images became, starting as puddles of water and flickers of half-seen snakes, and then eventually expanding into people, some of which, yes, were finders.

"This is a recent development, according to the townspeople," Alan explained, "so something may have triggered a defensive reflex, or else was moved here. That's why we called so urgently."

Tony nodded absently, studying a passing false-giraffe with interest as it vanished into the building's wall. "I can see how this would be disruptive," he said humorously. "I expected to see more pretty women, though." Then, hastily,  _"Hallucinated_  pretty women!"

Natasha didn't look appeased, though Bruce saw a hint of amusement in her eyes. "I'll tell Pepper," she said.

"Please don't. She'll murder me with paperwork and expensive shoes."

Zokalo cackled. "You're too much like Marian for anyone's good, Stark."

Tony considered what he knew of Cross. "Hey! I only  _used_  to resemble that remark!"

"Well, if Tony can get better, I suppose Cross can, too," Bruce commented, a small smile dancing across his lips.

"I doubt it," Zokalo snorted. "That man likes his liquor like most people like their air."


	51. Squelch

There were two Noah, Loki noted, and from the descriptions he'd been given, he'd guess that it was the one called Sheryl - the body manipulator, which explained their current predicament - and Wisely, with his many eyes.

Both of them were far too casual for Loki's taste, and while it was more difficult than he had expected (there was clearly something to be said for borrowing the power of an Infinity Stone) it was only a matter of time before he broke free with his own magic. He had, after all, had centuries to master it.

Sheryl was leaning against a wall, looking almost amused, and Wisely paced forward to look at them with interest, arms crossed.

"I heard from Road and Mikk that the Avengers had joined the Order," he said to the two aliens conversationally, a small smirk on his mouth and a dark light in his eyes. "But I have to say, it's still quite a surprise. Might I ask, what took you so long?  _Sorcerer?"_

Loki's eyes darkened, and while half his mind continued to work against the magic that bound him (arms out from his sides, like he was being crucified - how humiliating) the other half turned its attention to their captors. "You hide yourselves well, Noah, like a common field mouse hides from a bird of prey."

Wisely's smirk didn't fall, and perhaps it was earned; Thor was furious, muscles straining against his own bones as if he could overcome Sheryl's magic with brute force alone, while Tiedoll's eyes were cool and calculating in a way that Loki hadn't expected from the kind man, though he should have. Chaoji seemed to be having a small panic attack, mixed with some measure of anger. None of them were anywhere near escape.

"Not a field mouse," Wisely said at last. "But perhaps a snake. Like a bird of prey, a snake is known for killing. Perhaps if they could only get along, they would work well together." His smirk widened. "I liked your invasion. We should do it again sometime."

People needed to be more creative with their jabs. Loki had heard that and worse a million times before. Still, it stung a little, knowing what he now did about what his invasion had contributed to this hidden war.

At least he was working to make amends. No amends could be made for what these Noah had done. Not anymore.

Loki sneered. "A falcon does not work with a garden serpent."

"Loki." That was Thor's warning, strained with the effort he spent on struggling. It was a request to stop squabbling lest he get them killed. Loki nearly scoffed; he knew perfectly well what he was doing, far more than Thor ever had when he had done similar.

"Wisely, I don't want to leave dear Road alone for too long," Sheryl told the other Noah, bored and tired, with something like worry in his eyes. His fingers tapped his arm restlessly.

Wisely shrugged. "She's with the Earl," he said, and then continued, now to Thor, "You can't protect them from their own mortality, you know."

As Thor flinched visibly, Loki made a mental note to give Thor a talk about resisting mind games. The older Aesir was unforgivably susceptible to manipulation, no matter how blatant.

Loki needed to get them out of here. They were too vulnerable. He glanced over and met Tiedoll's eyes, and Tiedoll in turn looked at Chaoji, who calmed visibly, fear transforming into determination with speed that Loki found admirable.

Useful, as well. When Loki broke the controlling Noah's magic, they would need to react with all speed.

"I need not," Thor said, eyes hard. "My shield-brothers are more than capable of caring for themselves. They will live full lives with what time they have, and that will be enough."

"If only you believed that," Wisely replied, and Loki would wipe that smirk from his face.

"What purpose does this game serve?" Thor returned instead of replying, a look of kingly disapproval on his face. That would serve him well in later years.

Wisely shrugged. "I get bored. The Earl hasn't given us any proper missions in months, we're only meant to hide." He huffed. "It's pathetic."

"It's only temporary," Sheryl returned, a small smile on his lips, almost fond. "Once the current situation passes, we'll move on."

"It had better do so quickly, then," Wisely sniped back, and then looked at Tiedoll. "Your Order is more trouble than it's any right to be, you know? But you're going to lose them."

Tiedoll offered a very small smile. "I know," he said simply. "You cannot scare me, Noah, with things I have accepted already."

Wisely chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe not. It was worth a try, anyway, exorcist. General Tiedoll, aren't you?"

"That is my name, yes."

"And you." Wisely glanced at Chaoji. "His apprentice."

"Chaoji," Chaoji gritted out, his eyes on fire.

Wisely nodded, and he smirked again. "You've made a lot of mistakes. But you'll never get a chance to fix them."

"I hate you!"

Chaoji needed to be less obviously defensive, Loki noted inwardly, and then he felt something click, a connection made that would let him... He almost smiled, but that would be too obvious. He started to pluck at the strands of magic with his own, subtle and quiet, and kept an eye on Sheryl, who didn't make any indication that he'd noticed save for a slight, perhaps subconscious, furrow of his brow.

"Hurry up, Wisely," Sheryl said sharply, tense for no readily identifiable reason. "As I said, I don't want to leave dear Road too long."

Wisely laughed. "Do you no longer trust her with the Earl?" he asked rhetorically. Sheryl, however, remained serious, and now he appeared to be ignoring his prisoners. He would realize what a mistake that was soon enough.

"No," Sheryl told him, making Wisely's smile fall. "You know how erratic the Earl's behavior has been lately, Wisely. It's not healthy and it's not safe."

Loki glanced at Thor, momentarily distracted, and Thor looked back, eyes serious and intent. That was… interesting. They would have to remember this.

Of course, to make any use of it, they'd need to survive this encounter.

Wisely sighed. "I suppose not," he allowed reluctantly.

"And Road's has been little better," Sheryl continued, concern twisting his mouth bitterly. "She's been obsessing. They both have."

Wisely nodded. "You know why, of course."

"Neah," Sheryl said impatiently. "I am aware. They both want desperately to talk to him." He studied Wisely. "You know, don't you?"

Wisely's mouth twisted into a grimace. "I wish I didn't."

"Hm." Sheryl's gaze lingered on him for a few moments longer, and then he sighed. "We'll speak more about this later, Wisely." His gaze turned back to Loki, who was  _almost finished, almost,_ and Thor, then Tiedoll and Chaoji. "What are we going to do with them?"

Wisely snorted. "Kill them. Why not?"

Sheryl shrugged and considered them for a moment, then looked at Chaoji and smiled. "I'd like to say I'd miss you," he said offhandedly, and snapped his fingers.

_Squelch._

Chaoji's eyes widened, and he coughed. His eyes bugged out. Loki flinched minutely, eyes widening, and Tiedoll's eyes flew open in horror, and Thor's as well, though not quite as dramatically.

"Chaoji!" Tiedoll choked out, pain in every syllable.

Chaoji's ribcage had caved in, and pain was visible in the stretch of his skin and the look of his eyes. Blood splattered from his mouth, and Loki could hear the soft, high-pitched whimpers, his breath too short for screams.

 _No, no, no, damn it,_ damn _it…_

Sheryl turned his gaze on Thor, and with a final, mighty heave, Loki tore the bonds away, lunging to shove Thor even as Tiedoll dropped to Chaoji's side, hands hovering and expression crushed. _"Go!"_


	52. Train Tracks

"I'm going to throw you," Allen directed, ignoring Alexei's wide, alarmed eyes. "And you need to flip in midair and land on your feet."

"I cannot do that!" Alexei protested. "I am not understanding!"

Allen smiled. "Don't worry, it'll make more sense once you're in the air. You understand basically what I said, right?"

"...Yes…"

"That's good, then I promise you can do it." Allen ruffled Alexei's hair. "It's hard at first, but you'll get the hang of it, and it's surprisingly useful in the field."

Alexei gave him an uncertain look, but as promised, Allen hadn't yet asked him to do something he genuinely couldn't do. "...Okay."

Allen's smile softened, and he stepped back a little, studying Alexei and then gesturing for him to follow.

It took a few hours, but Alexei worked hard, and Allen was a surprisingly good teacher. By lunchtime, Alexei was consistently landing on his feet, and for those times he didn't, well, that was what the mats were for.

They broke for lunchtime and walked to the cafeteria together. It was a little awkward, but not as much so as it could have been; while it was only their second day training, they'd spent almost every minute of it together, working hard and fast.

They had to move a little more quickly than Allen might have liked - there was an awful lot of material to cover before Alexei's first mission - but Alexei was a good student, and determined. He'd be alright.

Allen would make sure of it.

"Master, where did you learn all of this?"

At Alexei's sudden question, Allen started slightly, and then looked down at Alexei. Alexei's eyes were on the ground, hands clasped behind his back. Allen gave him a thoughtful look, and, after a few moments, answered,

"I worked for the circus when I was younger. From when I was about five to the time I was ten, I think."

"Five?" Alexei looked up at him now, pale eyes wide.

Allen smiled uncomfortably and nodded. "Just about. I didn't start learning until I was seven, though." He chuckled softly. "My foster father was a very good teacher."

"So are you," Alexei said without thinking, and then ducked his head and frowned at the ground. He wondered what Allen's father had been like.

"Thank you," Allen laughed, "but you're really doing most of the work."

Alexei shrugged uncomfortably. "What are we going to be doing after lunch?" Training would pick up again as soon as they were done and then continue 'til dinner, and then for a little while after, until Allen had decided Alexei had had enough for the day.

The night before, it had been almost ten, and Alexei had been exhausted. He'd woken up aching.

He wasn't going to let that stop him, though.

Allen 'hm'ed thoughtfully. "I'd like to for you to be able to turn yourself in midair, so that you're facing your target when you land. We'll work on that."

Alexei winced, but this time, didn't object.

"Allen! Alexei!"

Allen started slightly and looked up to find Steve striding toward them, looking like he was trying for a smile and failing miserably. His eyes looked dark and unhappy, and Allen instantly grew concerned. "Captain! What happened?"

Steve's attempt at a smile fell away, and he grimaced. "We found Rhapsody." After a moment spent struggling for words, and then finally settled on, "Lavi's… giving her Innocence to Hevlaska."

Immediately, Allen deflated, eyes falling to the ground, and Alexei's widened dramatically. The younger boy paled sharply, and Steve winced; he probably shouldn't have said as much in front of the new exorcist, especially one as young as Alexei. But he was still a little in shock. The mission hadn't technically been the worst of his life, wasn't even close, but  _God,_  it felt like it. He hadn't lost anyone in a damn long time.

"Oh," Allen said quietly. He glanced at Steve, silver eyes concerned. "Are you okay?"

Steve grimaced. "I'll get over it." Rhapsody wouldn't. "I'm sorry."

Allen started, and then waved his hands insistently. "No, no! It happens sometimes. I'm glad you and Lavi and Bakanda got back okay." He hesitated. "You…  _did_  all get back okay, right?" Steve nodded, and Allen sighed in relief. "That's good." He turned to look at frightened Alexei and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. You made it as far as the Order, so you should be okay as long as we're careful. That's what the training's for, after all."

Alexei nodded hesitantly, but he didn't look entirely convinced.

"Oh!" Steve made a visible effort to perk up and looked at Allen. "How is that going?"

Allen smiled, and forced the thought of the lost accommodator away to think on later, after he and Alexei were done for the day. "It's going rather well, actually. Alexei's stamina is up about as much as it could be from two days' training, and he's learning to balance and shoot while moving."

"He is still here," Alexei complained, struggling to move past the previous topic as easily as the two older males had.

"Sorry, Alexei," Allen chuckled.

"Is Allen a good teacher?" Steve asked Alexei, smiling faintly.

Alexei considered it for only a very brief moment before nodding. "I am learning a lot." He wrinkled his nose. "It is being hard, but not  _too_  hard, I am supposing."

Steve laughed. "That's good. That's what training should be like."

Alexei huffed and muttered, but then they reached the cafeteria. When they got their food, Steve broke away to sit with Coulson and Link, and Allen took Alexei to go sit with Lavi, who was frowning at his food, looking pensive.

"Hey, Lavi," Allen said, voice soft, sitting down beside him. "Steve told me how the mission went."

Lavi snorted. "Figures. Typical, right?"

Allen shrugged. "It doesn't have to be."

"Should have brought more firepower," Lavi muttered, scowling. "It takes a lot to bring an accommodator to the Order."

"Is it always like this?" Alexei asked, leaning forward to peek at both of them worriedly. Allen took the moment to consume his food, which both his companions ignored with admirable tenacity. "It seems… bad."

Lavi grimaced and then forced a shrug and a grin to the Russian boy. "Eh, not always. There are good times and bad times, I guess." Alexei didn't look convinced. "Don't worry about it. There's, what, two weeks left?" He glanced at Allen, who nodded. "And then it's all over, one way or another."

Alexei flinched lightly, and Allen paused to look down at him, and then he sighed, put his food down, and tilted Alexei's chin up with one gloved hand to meet his eyes, deadly serious.

"Alexei. I can't promise that either of us will make it out of this okay, that any of us will, but I do promise you this: everyone here is going to do their very best to make sure everyone makes it out alive, and  _I'll_  do  _my_  best to make sure  _you_  do. Okay?"

Alexei bit his lip, holding Allen's gaze steady without speaking. After a very long moment, he asked in Russian,  _"You promise?"_

 _"I promise,"_  Allen replied in the same language, giving the boy a small smile. He let go and returned to English as he looked back at his food. "I wouldn't be much of a master if I didn't."

"Yeah, then you'd be like Cross," Lavi chuckled. Allen wrinkled his nose and scowled.

Lavi and Allen kept talking throughout the rest of lunch; Alexei contented himself with eating and listening. Finally, though, Allen finished and stood up, and Alexei scrambled up as well, caught between dread and eagerness.

"I'll see you later, Lavi," Allen told his friend with a smile, gathering up his trays.

Lavi waved. "Talk to ya later, sprout!"

"My name is Allen!" Allen scowled at him and then moved on to put his trays away. It was on his way to the door that he saw Link dismiss himself from Steve and Coulson's company and start toward them, stride long and purposeful. Allen paused, surprised.

"Master?" Alexei tilted his head back to frown at him in question. Allen shook himself and looked down at him.

"Meet me at the same training room, alright? It looks like I have something to take care of first."

Alexei's gaze lingered on him for a few moments longer, a small frown stretching his mouth, but after a minute, he nodded and scurried off, casting only one glance behind him before he vanished out the door.

Link caught up and nodded at him seriously while Allen waited. "Walker."

"Hello, Link. Is something the matter?" He started to walk, not wanting to have a serious conversation on the edge of the cafeteria.

Link looked distracted. "How is your training with Alexei going, Walker?"

"It's fine, he's doing well. What's the matter?" Allen was not.

Link huffed a little. "Walker, what are you planning to do after we win?" He would not allow himself to consider the possibility of loss. For one thing, if they lost, no one would be doing much of anything ever again.

Allen looked startled, which was what he'd been afraid of. "...You know, I really don't know. I'm not sure what I _could_  do." He considered. "I suppose I could go back to the circus."

Link scowled, and even Allen didn't look too enthused by the idea. "Figure it out, Walker."

Allen stared straight ahead for a few moments, thoughtful, and then he shrugged and smiled. "I'll work something out," he promised, already grappling with this new problem. If… if he survived… what  _would_  he do? And what would he need to do it?  _How_  would he? He hadn't ever gone to school… And he hadn't even  _considered..._

"Good." Link nodded sharply, and then looked around. Allen's attention was returned to the older male and his concern grew. Seeing no one, Link edged a little closer to him and spoke quietly. "I am not one to betray the Vatican, but I would advise you to, well…" He grimaced. "Be wary, Walker. That's all I'm saying."

Allen turned to give him a wide-eyed, startled look, and Link returned it with a grim one. After a moment, the line of Allen's mouth smoothed unhappily. "Alright, Link. I'll be careful."

"See that you do." Link nodded at him once more, and then turned and headed a different direction, stalk sharp and brooding. Allen sighed, shook his head, and forcibly redirected his attention to Alexei's training.

There would be more problems in the future, but right now, Allen needed to focus on the ones at hand, and he had a promise to keep.


	53. Break

Loki's strongest shield was slow to cast, so he had to make do with a lesser one, a barrier made of air which blocked off magic and physical assault alike.

Sheryl's eyes had widened in shock, and Wisely reeled back, startled. Tiedoll, though, wasted no time in scooping Chaoji up (and Chaoji choked down an agonized moan, unable to scream) and taking off at Loki's impatient gesture, making a beeline for his Innocence, which lay on the ground a few yards away.

"Sheryl!" Wisely gasped out, lurching forward. His head slammed into the shield and he grunted, and Loki cast another to keep the Noah at bay.

"Brother, to the gate!" Thor called, taking Chaoji from Tiedoll without effort. The general nodded in gratitude and scooped his Innocence up; it sat comfortably in his hand.

"I will stall them!" Loki snapped back, eyes intent and focused. "Go!"

"Loki-" Thor started to turn, eyes wide and alarmed.

"Do not argue, brother!" Loki said harshly. Thor hesitated, and then, regretful and earnest, promised,

"I will return for you, Loki. Stand true."

Loki nodded, baring his teeth in a small snarl. "General!" he called.

Tiedoll paused, interpreted and processed the implicit request in a split second, and then whipped around. He waved his staff like Loki would once wave his scepter, in a grand gesture made for show. "Art!" he said sharply. "Witness the beauty of this world!"

From the ground rose a monster - a distinctly Tiedoll-shaped beast which towered above all of them, and then swiped at the two Noah, making them split up.

"What did you  _do?"_  Wisely demanded of Sheryl, who snapped back,

"Loki has magic! He found a way to break free, you idiot! We can't let them get away, or the Earl won't let us live to hear the end of it!"

With that, he swung his fist forward, and Loki cursed and staggered back as the first shield shattered under the force, making his chest ache.

Tiedoll carefully manipulated his beast to swing at Sheryl, who was forced to duck away from the second shield in order to evade the most likely devastating blow.

"My apprentices are like children to me," Tiedoll told the two Noah, deadly cold. "And I have lost many of them in my time, but I forget not a single one. Art!"

More statues, smaller than the beast but still larger than life, formed and rose into the air, and Loki recognized only a few - Kanda, Chaoji, Marie, and then others, most likely long dead. Chaoji swung his fist at Sheryl, Kanda drew his sword, Marie wielded his strings, another bounced a ball in front of him; each of them had a weapon and a penalty to extract.

Loki himself was facing Wisely, who had met his eyes, brow furrowed, intense - and the second shield gave way under an unseen force. A second later, the force moved on to the Asgardian Jotun, who found himself flat on his back, out of breath, with Wisely towering over him.

The battle between Tiedoll and Sheryl raged in the background, Tiedoll using his Art to keep Sheryl away from his body, being passed from statue to statue as Sheryl reached and pursued and occasionally caught the General, only to be thwarted as a statue shattered his concentration.

All of Loki's attention, however, was on the grey-skinned Noah above him, and the strange intensity of his gaze. Loki glared and started to get up, but Wisely spoke.

"I hate to do this, Jotun, because your mind is strange and it makes my head hurt. Unfortunately, we all have to make sacrifices in war."

The next thing Loki knew, it was a battle between his magic and Wisely's, a fight of finesse pitted against sheer strength. It irked Loki to know which was which.

_Ba-bump._

Loki gasped in a struggling breath, sweat beading on his forehead. His blood rushed in his ears, and he pushed against Wisely, using every trick he knew, every ounce of strength to keep the other from achieving his goal.

Loki would not let his brain be melted by a human who thought himself better.

_Ba-bump._

Oh, but it hurt. There was a strangeness to Wisely's magic, a consumptive hunger that ate at Loki's strength, weakening him even as they wrestled. Loki hissed, blood starting to leak from his ears, pain starting in his forehead and spreading.

_Ba-bump._

Loki did not have the strength for this, for this fight. He struggled to get up, to rise, but a renewal in the magic made him fall again, and blood bubbled from his lips as he coughed.

Wisely would not get the best of him. He would not. He would not!

_Ba-bump._

There was a crack in Wisely's offense. Just one, a single thread of decay, but Loki lunged at it, blasted it with all the strength he had left in him, and Wisely screamed and stumbled back, and then…

Loki was dazed. Blood leaked from his nose and his ears and his eyes, and it bubbled from his mouth, he coughed.

There was a blond blur above him, roaring in anger, and a white one passing by to aide a man among statues, who was slow and tiring.

A door opened, and a little girl emerged, and there were candles, many candles, which blazed and swirled menacingly while Loki stared blankly, a blinding pain in his head, short of breath for the elephant on his chest.

Eventually, three went into the door, which closed and disappeared, and the blond man crouched over him, worried and wary.

"Loki?" he asked. "Loki, are you well?"

Loki blinked, and then he closed his eyes, and the world faded away.

"Loki!"


End file.
